Union Street Café is a restaurant, owned by chef Gordon Ramsay, in Southwark, London. It was the first of Ramsay's restaurants to be opened without the involvement of Chris Hutchinson, and at one point was backed by footballer David Beckham. The Café serves Mediterranean cuisine, with mostly Italian dishes. The head chef, Davide Degiovanni, designs the menu, which is changed daily. Before the Café was opened, it received more than 10,000 booking requests, with seating filled to the end of the year. Food critics' reviews have been mixed, with differing opinions of the vealsaltimbocca but agreement in dislike of a dish of octopus, borlotti bean, and 'nduja sausage.
History
The Union Street Café was the first restaurant opened by Gordon Ramsay Holdings without the involvement of Gordon Ramsay's father-in-law, Chris Hutchinson. Initially English footballer David Beckham was an investor in the restaurant, but he withdrew his support prior to launch. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in an industrial style designed by Russell Sage, who had previously created the interior of Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen. It has revealed concrete columns, ventilation shafts and without tablecloths on the tables. The location was formerly a loading bay, and the interior design incorporated several original elements into the dining space. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of Harling House and contains space for 99 covers. Following the launch of the restaurant's website, it received over 10,000 requests before opening. At launch, it was said to be fully booked until the end of the year. The launch party was held on 16 October 2013.
Menu
Due to the restaurant's location, prior to opening it was said that they would use fresh produce from suppliers in nearby Borough Market. These include items such as mussels from Wales and clams from Cornwall. The menu is described by the restaurant as "Mediterranean", but was said to be predominantly Italian by reviewers. The menu itself is changed on a daily basis, and designed by head chef Davide Degiovanni. He and Ramsay developed the initial range of dishes together.
Reception
Matthew Norman attended the restaurant on the day after opening. He said in his review for The Daily Telegraph, that the veal saltimbocca was too salty, and found other courses "blisteringly average" or "forgettably adequate". Norman also did not see the point of the Parmesan skin appetisers, saying that they were "bemusing". He gave the restaurant two out of five stars. John Walsh, for The Independent, found the linguine vongole to have "most buttery pasta ever eaten", and said that the saltimbocca was "astonishing" and that "the chef deserves a medal for keeping this dish simple, dramatic and irresistible." He gave Union Street Café four out of five for both food and service, and three out of five for ambience. In the review in Time Out, the portion sizes were said to be "considered meagre in the boot of Italy" but certain dishes such as the Parmesan skin appetisers and the chocolate and peanut butter cake were singled out for praise. Marina O'Loughlin wrote in The Guardian said that the mushroom risotto was excellent, as was the homemade gelato. Her only criticism was towards a dish of octopus, borlotti bean and 'nduja. However, she found that her enjoyment of the restaurant was troubled by the sheer expectation of a new Gordon Ramsay restaurant and the media campaign that preceded the opening. She gave it seven out of ten for food, atmosphere and value for money. David Sexton in London's The Evening Standard, described the crudo of stone bass as "excellent" and found that the tagliolini with rabbit was the best thing on the menu. He also disliked the octopus dish, saying that the 'nduja overpowered the rest of the ingredients. Sexton felt that the cafe was a fully fledged restaurant and gave it three out of five stars.
