Gordon Ramsay Plane Food T5 LHR

[Sober Lark]

Anyone tried the £11.95 Gordon Ramsay Plane Food take away in T5 LHR? Seemingly the adverts present it as a carry on bag containing a picnic you can enjoy on your flight at leisure and is a cut above plane food.

Also does simalar exist tthat anyone can recommend in any of the other LHR terminals?

Thanks

[clareprop]

Don't know about other terminals but a colleague has tried one of the meals and said it was excellent. He did also say however, that as he enjoyed his prawns and truffles amongst the economy proletariat , he felt like he was reprising the final scene of Hannibal....

[Tray Surfer]

I bought it once and was not overly impressed. I think the whole place is a little bit over hyped. I have had a sit down breakfast in there too and thought it was below par for the price, and the service was poor.

I hear it gets mixed reviews, but I suppose it depends what sort of food you like etc...

At least you get to keep the little bag! :ok:

[c2lass]

We had a breakfast there not long after it first opened. Just short of £40 for the two breakfasts :eek: however it was excellent.

The next time we were in Heathrow we went for lunch and I have to say we were a tad disappointed. Very small portions for an expensive price.

I was also quite shocked about how grubby the place looked. We were sat nearest the window and there was kind of vent things on the floor and it was full of crumbs and spilt food. Also someone had been in before with a baby in a high chair that had made a real mess all around the area and nobody cleaned it up the whole time we were in.

[Notso Fantastic]

Well I had lunch in there and really enjoyed it. And bought a takeaway bag which was a treat. I guess you are either a MacDonalds type or go for quality. There is not a lot inbetween. Gordon Ramsay's restaurant is right at the quality end. If you are disgusted by anything like a mess in an eating establishment, you should point it out prior to publicising it!

[c2lass]

Notsofantastic

I never said I was disgusted with the mess but I was quite surprised that an establishment like Gordon Ramsay's allowed it to get like that.

I also do not think it is my responsibility to point it out to them as their own staff should have seen/observed it and done something about it.

As for publicising it, why not? It was our experience and for what we paid and the reputation of Gordon Ramsay I would have expected higher standards.

As I said, the breakfast we had the first time was absolutely excellent and that is why we decided to return for lunch. The lunch was a wee bit disappointing. But hey, that is my opinion only!

[Chuchinchow]

Notsofantastic has told us

If you are disgusted by anything like a mess in an eating establishment, you should point it out prior to publicising it!

I understand your point of view, but your course of action would leave little leeway for all the food critics! Alternatively, the mess at that particular eatery could well be the basis of another episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares!

Let's see how long it takes Gordon Ramsay to rectify the matter - and how many F-words he uses in the process.


As I said, the breakfast we had the first time was absolutely excellent and that is why we decided to return for lunch.

That was a pretty substantial delay, c2lass!

[Evanelpus]

I never said I was disgusted with the mess but I was quite surprised that an establishment like Gordon Ramsay's allowed it to get like that.

Now I'm guessing that GR's establishment is using the same catchment area for it's employees as is McD's and all the other fast food outlets. I'm also guessing that he pays them around the same.

If that's the case, the mystery of the mess is over. You get what you pay for as anyone who goes into a crowded McD's on a Saturday afternoon in London will testify to.

[Shack37]

C2lass said

We had a breakfast there not long after it first opened. Just short of £40 for the two breakfasts http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/eek.gif however it was excellent


Evanelpus replied

If that's the case, the mystery of the mess is over. You get what you pay for as anyone who goes into a crowded McD's on a Saturday afternoon in London will testify to


The poster was referring to a Gordon Ramsey establishment.
Do two McD's breakfasts cost £40? I have to agree though that anyone who eats in a MacDonalds anytime deserves what they get.

[Chuchinchow]

Now I'm guessing that GR's establishment is using the same catchment area for it's employees as is McD's and all the other fast food outlets. I'm also guessing that he pays them around the same.

If that's the case, the mystery of the mess is over. You get what you pay for as anyone who goes into a crowded McD's on a Saturday afternoon in London will testify to.

You might be surprised to read that you are not entirely correct, Evanelplus.

McD's is acutely aware of the great British habit of soiling its own habitat by instantly dropping unwanted rubbish anywhere and everywhere and then blithely walking away. Each branch manager details at least one employee to get out on the pavements surrounding his branch and to pick up each and every item of McDonalds-branded litter. This ostensibly helps to protect the brand name and helps to promote better relations with the branch's neighbours.

Now, what actually happens inside a branch during busy trading times is another story entirely! Nevertheless, I am always surprised by the paradox of many punters pitching their used containers and wrappers into the waiting gash bins.

BTW, our local Maccy Dee's held an "open day" recently and visitors were shown what goes on behind the scenes. I was astonished and impressed to see the very high standards of cleanliness and hygiene in what was, after all, a very busy kitchen. The service period there can last for 12 continuous hours, against the 3 or (perhaps) 3.5 hours in a more upmarket gaff serving lunch and dinner only.

(To eliminate any doubt, I am not a shareholder in the McDonald corporation, nor am I a frequent customer!)

[Lord Bracken]

There is a difference here between actually eating in the restaurant, and taking away the picnic. The former is good but can be quite expensive, especially for breakfast, and the service sometimes suffers if the place is busy. The picnics on the other hand are delicious and pretty good value. Certainly beats most BA shorthaul catering hands down*.



*Quite depressing that Club Europe passengers paying £500+ for a ticket feel obliged to bring their own refreshments, but that's another story...

[Evanelpus]

McD's is acutely aware of the great British habit of soiling its own habitat by instantly dropping unwanted rubbish anywhere and everywhere and then blithely walking away. Each branch manager details at least one employee to get out on the pavements surrounding his branch and to pick up each and every item of McDonalds-branded litter. This ostensibly helps to protect the brand name and helps to promote better relations with the branch's neighbours.

Then I suggest they need to start pulling up branch managers because the areas outside the last two McD's I ate at (Stevenage Retail Park and Leicester Square) resembled a bad night at a winos party.

Shack37, you are a class act. There's no way on Gods earth I'd pay £40 for two lots of sausage, egg and bacon.

[Shack37]

Evanelpus


Shack37, you are a class act. There's no way on Gods earth I'd pay £40 for two lots of sausage, egg and bacon.


No, it was the OP who paid that amount to which you replied "You get what you pay for" He hardly got what he paid for if the floor was covered in crap!

[c2lass]

It was me (and I am female) who paid just short of £40 for the two breakfasts.

After getting over the shock of how much a breakfast was (we did know before we went in as we had read the menu) and after all it was my birthday that day we decided for a little treat.

The quality of all the foods in the breakfast was fantastic, from things like the proper butter, the Bonne Maman (sp) marmalade, the taste of the mushrooms, the nice golden yolk of the egg. The quality of the meat in the sausage, bacon etc was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The floor was covered in c**p when we returned for a second visit for a lunch probably the following year.

Would we go back? Difficult question to answer that. Would need to know what the other alternatives are in T5. Don't really go through LHR much now as BA have ridiculous prices so as we live near ABZ tend to use KLM via AMS.

[Shack37]

It was me (and I am female) who paid just short of £40 for the two breakfasts.



c2lass, apologies for the gender error, the lass part of your username should have been a clue:ok:

[Sonorguy]

McD's is acutely aware of the great British habit of soiling its own habitat by instantly dropping unwanted rubbish anywhere and everywhere and then blithely walking away. Each branch manager details at least one employee to get out on the pavements surrounding his branch and to pick up each and every item of McDonalds-branded litter. This ostensibly helps to protect the brand name and helps to promote better relations with the branch's neighbours.

Though mostly this has nothing to do with McDs being altruistic and civically minded and instead a result of local councils and environmental health threatening to take action unless they reduce the amount of litter outside their restaurants.

[Skylion]

The picnics are good , though their existence is not known to too may. They need and deserve much more promotion especially as other than the odd tiny packet of nuts or pretzels there is no food, for sale or otherwise, on BA shorthaul EuroTraveller sectors of under 2 hours if they depart after 10.00 am.(ie they have pretty much the worst product of any airline from any London airport after that magic hour).
Other than for its surroundings and good views out ,The Gordon Ramsey breakfast is not good value. It gives the impression of having been carefully "thrifted" by the accountants and every mouthful it is possible to remove has been removed. So.. for half the price go downstairs in the main building and take a left turn to a much better alternative-Weatherspoons I think,- just before you hit the northern wing of stands.

[Chuchinchow]

Would some kind connoisseur care to describe the contents of a Ramsay picnic package, please?

[Alsacienne]

Plane Food - Menus - Winter picnics (http://www.gordonramsay.com/planefood/picnics/planepicnics/)

[Chuchinchow]

Plane Food - Menus - Winter picnics

Thank you, Alsacienne!

[MPN11]

On my next plod through T5, ably assisted by BAA's design to 'maximise the retail experience' :ugh: , I shall have a look at this Plane Food thing. I understand it also does a "takeaway"? :rolleyes:

I shall then navigate to a BA lounge for some borderline semi-food, before flying BA Club World with borderline food and debris in the cabin. It helps to see all sides of the argument.

[WHBM]

I find Gordon Ramsay's restaurant one of the very few good things about T5. After navigating the lunatic access arrangements from the Underground, and the grossly incompetently-managed security checks, and before the equally stupid routing from the departure hall to the gate (or more usually, to the scrum waiting forever for the airside bus), I find the food and ambience is pleasant and well handled. So I will recommend it.

I wonder what part GR still actually plays in it, apart from lending his name to the signage for a fee. I do get the feeling that he oversaw the initial menus, and quite a lot of the kitchen side. Front of house always seems well organised and pleasant as well.

I'm sure they do "pay" the same as McDonalds; after all, you tip in this place, you certainly don't in McDonalds.