Ramsay serves up food with a view
Chef to launch London’s highest restaurants — in the City’s tallest tower
GORDON RAMSAY is taking his growing restaurant empire to new heights with the opening of London’s loftiest dining venues at the top of the City’s tallest tower.
The Hell’s Kitchen TV chef revealed today that he is launching two restaurants, a chef’s table and a culinary academy at the summit of 22 Bishopsgate, a vast 912ft high office block near Liverpool Street station.
They will immediately seize the title of London’s highest public dining rooms from current holder Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor of the nearby Salesforce Tower, also on Bishopsgate.
The highest of the trio of Ramsay destinations will be a new outlet for his Asian dining brand Lucky Cat on the 60th storey with 360 degree views of London and beyond. It will also have a roof terrace cocktail bar with a licence to 3am.
Also on the 60th floor will be a 14-seat chef’s table, an offshoot from his three Michelin starred flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea.
Just below on the 59th level will be a branch of the restaurateur’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar chain. Meanwhile the Gordon Ramsay Academy, which is sponsored by the cookware brand HexClad, will teach skills in “everything from pasta-making to mixology”. Reservations for the 22 Bishopsgate restaurants will open in September.
Ramsay said: “This is more than just a new opening — it’s a significant milestone for our business. We’re not only launching the highest culinary experiences in London, but also creating a vibrant culinary hub at the incredible 22 Bishopsgate. I’m so proud of the hard work from our teams. I cannot wait to share this unique dining experience with our guests.”
The new openings — due in February — are the latest moves in a remarkable “space race” for an activity that has historically been based at pavement or basement level.
The trend for “dining with altitude” in London arguably began in 1963 with the opening of London Hilton, London’s first skyscraper hotel, near Hyde Park Corner.
Other renowned high rise venues include Jason Atherton’s City Social on the 24th floor of the City’s Tower 42, the trio of restaurants Aqua, Oblix and Hutong halfway up The Shard, London’s tallest tower, and Searcys at The Gherkin in the City.
However, even Ramsay’s new ventures do not come close to threatening the title of Britain’s highest restaurant. That belongs to The Ptarmigan, 3,599 feet up Cairn Gorm mountain near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands.