The Ledbury
The Ledbury | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 2005 February 2022 (reopening) | (first iteration)
Closed | 2020 | (first iteration)
Head chef | Brett Graham |
Food type | British cuisine |
Rating |
|
Street address | Ledbury Road, Notting Hill |
City | London, W11 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Seating capacity | 45 (2022–present) 55 (2005–2020) |
Other information | Nearest station: Westbourne Park |
Website | Official website |
The Ledbury is a restaurant located on Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, England. It held two Michelin stars from 2010 until 2020, when it lost them as they shut due to Covid-19 restrictions being impractical for the restaurant, making it ineligible for assessment by Michelin inspectors. It has also been featured in S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. The head chef is Brett Graham, and he has been received favorably by critics. The restaurant reopened in February 2022, after being closed for almost 2 years.
History
The restaurant opened in 2005, under head chef Brett Graham.[1] It is the sister restaurant of The Square, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair, London, with the same backers investing in both restaurants.[2] The new restaurant gained a Michelin star within a year of opening,[3] but sales only increased by 2009.[4] A second Michelin star followed in 2010.[3] Also in 2010, it was awarded the Square Meal BMW Restaurant of the Year Award.[5]
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Graham announced in June 2020 that the restaurant would remain closed indefinitely, citing one-metre social distancing measures in place as impractical to keep staff and customers safe.[6] Due to its closure, The Ledbury lost its Michelin stars in January 2021.[7]
The Ledbury was refurbished and then reopened to the public in early February 2022.[8][9] Its seating capacity was reduced from 55 to 45 in favor of a centre table to be used by the serving staff.[8]
Reception
Giles Coren visited the restaurant for The Times' shortly after it opened. He described it as having a "hushed, moneyed feel"[10] Terry Durack also reviewed the restaurant during 2005, for The Independent on Sunday. He described the restaurant as "seriously good", and thought it was off to a "very good start".[11]
In 2008, Matthew Norman, writing in The Guardian, commented on its "recession-resistant prices" and gave it 9.25 out of 10.[12] Jasper Gerard ate at the restaurant for The Daily Telegraph in 2010, describing some courses as "scrumptious", but he felt that the dessert options were a let down compared to the rest of the dishes on offer.[2]
Harden's restaurant guide describes the food at The Ledbury as "genius" and scores the food as a one, service as a one and ambience as a two. It uses a scale of one to five, where one is high and five is low.[13]
Awards
- The Ledbury became 2014 one of the Top Ten Restaurants in S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.[14]
- The restaurant held two stars in the Michelin Guide[15] until 2020.
- 2012, S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants in its second year listed, and was the highest climber on the list.[1]
- In both 2010 and 2011 The Ledbury was voted the UK's top restaurant in Restaurant Magazine's 'National Restaurant Awards'.[16]
- In 2011, it was also voted the best restaurant in London by Zagat, Harden's and the Sunday Times.[4]
Chef and co-restaurateur
The restaurant's chef de cuisine Brett Graham was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1979. He worked as an apprentice of a fish restaurant Scratchleys. Then at age 18, he moved to a Sydney restaurant Banc.[3] He immigrated to London in early 2000s after winning the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award in Sydney.[17] He had previously worked at The Square as a sous chef for three and a half years under its chef de cuisine, Phil Howard.[3] Graham won the Young Chef of the Year in 2002 from the Restaurant Association.[17]
References
- ^ a b Ruddick, Peter (3 May 2012). "Brett Graham admits Highest Climber award will put more pressure on The Ledbury". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b Gerard, Jasper (29 January 2010). "London Restaurant Guide: The Ledbury in Notting Hill, London". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Brett Graham, the Ledbury, the Harwood Arms". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b Palling, Bruce (28 November 2011). "Squid Globules To Die For". Newsweek International. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "BMW Square Meal Award - Hall of Fame". Square Meal. Monomax Ltd. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "The Ledbury to close 'indefinitely' due to Covid-19". Harden's. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ Baldwin, Caroline (25 January 2021). "Michelin makes surprise deletions from 2021 guide". The Caterer. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ a b Hui, Angela (19 January 2022). "Beloved Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury is back from the dead". Time Out. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Hanly, Catherine (15 February 2022). "Michelin announce their 2022 special awards – London gets best sommelier, chef mentor and young chefs". Hot Dinners. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Coren, Giles (28 May 2005). "The Ledbury". The Times. London. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ Durack, Terry (22 May 2005). "Eating Out: Prodigious talent ; The Ledbury's head chef Brett Graham may be very young at just 26, but his cooking demonstrates an accomplished maturity far beyond his tender years". The Independent on Sunday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ Norman, Matthew (26 April 2008). "Restaurant review: The Ledbury, London W11". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ "The Ledbury". Harden's. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "Daniel Kleemann – Küchenchef im kuli.nariath". Gourmet Report (in German). 20 March 2014.
- ^ "Full list of Michelin stars in Britain and Ireland". The Daily Telegraph. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "The Ledbury wins National Restaurant Awards for second year running". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ^ a b Durack, Terry (22 May 2005). "Eating Out: Prodigious talent". The Independent. p. 35. ProQuest 336929366.
External links
- 2005 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 2020 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- 2022 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Buildings and structures in Notting Hill
- Michelin Guide starred restaurants in the United Kingdom
- Restaurants disestablished during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Restaurants disestablished in 2020
- Restaurants established in 2005
- Restaurants established in 2022
- Restaurants in London