Such a fun experience! I've watched all of Gordon Ramsay's shows for years, so I was SO excited to finally have the opportunity to experience a few of his signature dishes for myself. As you walk through the front door, you're immediately greeted with a ton of Gordon Ramsay paraphernalia -- there are photos of him everywhere, including in the hallway to the washroom. As you walk up to the hostess stand, there's a giant wall celebrating the previous Hell's Kitchen winners on your right, and a wide selection of souvenirs and novelty items on your left; if you've always wanted your own Hell's Kitchen chef's jacket, you're in luck.

The service is similarly incredible; our server was extremely attentive and friendly, and did everything he could to create a fun experience for us. He walked us through the menu and offered suggestions to accommodate for our table's dietary restrictions, and he also treated the table to a complimentary birthday plate of sticky toffee pudding -- a delightful way to end the meal and to celebrate!

I wasn't feeling extremely hungry, so I decided to forego the appetizers and just have a main course. The rest of my table got individual starters, so the servers kindly offered me an empty small plate in case I wanted to sample a bite or two from anyone else, which was incredibly thoughtful. I ended up snagging a small bite of lobster risotto from one friend -- which was delightful -- and a smidge of a scallop from another friend. That bite of scallop was probably my favorite thing from the entire meal, so I really regret not getting one of my own -- it was so incredibly tender and beautifully seared. The butternut squash puree was a fantastic, largely neutral base, and the brussels sprouts were SO crispy.

My entree was another Gordon Ramsay classic, the crispy skin salmon. As the name implies, the skin was remarkably crispy, the perfect contrast against the tender, medium rare fish. It was served on top of a delightful mix of spatzle, asparagus, and mushrooms; the combination was the perfect base for the salmon, with a bit of earthiness from the mushrooms and a bite of spring from the asparagus. The mix was also topped with a phenomenal citrus beurre blanc, which was rich and creamy, while also adding a hint of acidity and freshness to lighten up the plate. Our table also shared a few of the sides, including the mac and cheese, potato puree, and roasted brussels sprouts. The potato puree, despite sounding exactly like mashed potatoes, were so much better than that -- they were rich, creamy, and oh so smooth. The creme fraiche added a lightness and slight tartness that just elevated the humble potato to the next level. The brussels sprouts were the same ones that were served with the scallop, which meant they were phenomenal -- they were perfectly crispy, and I loved the accompanying squash and the slight sweetness from the maple gastrique on top. It typically also comes with giant lardons, but they kindly put those on the side since we had a few folks in our group who didn't eat pork.

The meal ended with the sticky toffee pudding topped with speculous ice cream, and...wow. Words genuinely can't describe how phenomenal this dessert was. I'm usually not a huge fan of super sweet desserts, but they did such a fantastic job with this one. It was definitely very sweet, but it didn't feel overwhelmingly or sickeningly so, and the combination of the warm pudding with chilly ice cream was just perfect.

All in all, Hell's Kitchen was super fun! I'm glad I got to experience it and finally check this place off my bucket list! If you're a fan of Gordon Ramsay, it's definitely worth visiting once to see where all the magic (and yelling) happens!