by Richard Montague

Expectations are always raised when you know you are going to something that bears the “Gordon” label, whether by favourable reviews, recommendations from friends, or indeed the sustained media onslaught from the world of Ramsay Intellectual Property. So when you are on your way to a restaurant that has already achieved a coveted Michelin star and is the signature venue of the favoured protégé in the Ramsay empire, your anticipation should rightly feel justified.

I have to confess at this point that when my wife and I arrived we were not, in fact, anticipating anything other than an anniversary evening spent in silence due to an unfortunate incident involving an interesting choice of footwear combined with my insistence that we travel on the Tube so we could both have a drink. This considered, it is with great pleasure that we found ourselves enveloped by the charming service that has come to characterise the Ramsay phenomenon.

There was not even the remotest flicker of irritation despite our being 15 minutes late, we could almost be forgiven for thinking that they were delighted with our tardy timekeeping, when the reality is almost certainly the complete opposite. We were guided to our table, gladly accepting an offer of a glass of pink champagne, and, our troubles and irritation but a distant memory, we turned our attention back to enjoying ourselves.

The food itself is described by Jason Atherton as “haute cuisine done in smaller portions” or “modern tapas”. This was always going to please me as I could probably be accused of being a person who, although generally enjoying my ultimate choice of dish, will lament the other dishes that could have been mine. This could be a clever way of describing what non-foodies might term greedy, but I would argue “what is the point of having an interest in gastronomy if you are not passionately driven by the desire to experience many of the options a chef can concoct?”

On this basis we opted for the chef’s menu, tantalised particularly by the steamed daurade Royal with candied aubergine, spicy ketchup and bok choi. So, when we opened our seven-course extravaganza with Devon crab and winter squash soup with corn puree we were truly delighted that it epitomised everything we were expecting. The flavours were light, crammed with taste and subtly chosen to complement each other.

We worked our way through the courses with the pleasure which can only really be the realm of proper foodies; we forgot we were supposed to remember all the details or that we had nearly argued and just sat there enjoying what can only be described as an exhibition by a chef who has really tapped into a particular brand of genius.

The obligatory controversial goose liver made its appearance in the following form: honey and soy-roasted quail with Landes foie gras, spiced pear chutney and pickled pear puree. This was every bit as good as it sounds, and although we felt a bit silly trying to cut these morcels into pieces to share, it was more than worth the effort. The daurade was as good as it promised, just outshining the red mullet with bouillabaisse consommé and saffron and olive tapenade by a whisker.

The dish which cannot go without mention is rare breed Sussex pork “head to toe” with parsnip and spiced lentils, comprising a selection of cuts which exhibited both the chef’s skill and the excellence of the produce. It is testament to that chef who was able to cook a pig’s trotter so well that even though it was not to my taste I could still exalt in the balance of flavours and textures. However, the cheek with spicy lentils and parsnip was nothing other than divine.

To accompany the food we chose from the ample wine list a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir (Duckhorn, Migration 2005 £65 per bottle). It was a good recommendation by the sommelier, who, short of selecting a drink for every course and having to carry us out, made a solid match for a menu with such diversity.

Dessert was again a conglomeration of subtlety and panache, the highlights being the coconut panna cotta with black olive caramel and white chocolate granite and, as you would expect, the Maze tirimasu, coffee granite and chocolate croquant. As we had booked early for 1815 we knew that it was likely they would be turning tables, however, even with our late start there was plenty of time for coffee before we were most gracefully ejected to the bar area.

Value for money was excellent, with the tasting menu coming in at £55 per head but you should probably consider that the main menu has all the tasting menu dishes on it, with prices ranging from £7 to £10.50, so you could tailor your meal to your tastes or appetite very easily without breaking the bank.

So with our expectations raised was it really everything we hoped? Well yes, it was, Atherton’s exquisite execution and sensational balance of flavour and texture serve to enhance his contemporary spin on Spanish peasant food, making it a must for a return visit.

More on Maze, which is in Grosvenor Square, W1, with online reservations.