Bread Street Kitchen Dubai have just introduced their Fit Food menu, and last night I was privileged enough to be one of the first to try some of the dishes on it, in the presence of the man himself: Gordon Ramsay. The “Fit Food” menu items are from Gordon Ramsay’s new cookbook: Ultimate Fit Food, and can be identified by a little running man next to the menu items that are from said menu.

Getting offered a table for two at Bread Street Kitchen the night that Gordon Ramsay himself was expected to be there for the launch of Ultimate Fit Food, was most certainly one of the most exciting things to happen to me this year- or in my entire life, for that matter. Thank you ever so much, Charlie Madsen, you’re the real MVP, and you’ve got the most stellar team working with you.

My jaw dropped as we approached Bread Street Kitchen last night, and saw how massive the line outside was! Everyone had reservations but was clearly way too excited and wanted to be the first ones in! Dinner service was due to start at 7 p.m., but at 6:30 (I got there a little early as I was heading straight from work), the line was longer than I could even see! People were clearly very eager to get a glimpse of Gordon!

The evening started off just right. I was received very warmly by the fantastic folks at Brazen PR, they’re truly such professionals and excellent at doing what they do, and they do it the best. We were promptly seated on one of the tables closest to the kitchen, reserved for media (it’s days like these on which I feel so lucky to be doing what I do, and to be blessed with opportunities like these!), where the bread and butter had already been laid out next to a placard with my name on it, and a copy of the set menu for the night. Yes, the butter was salted, as it should always be in my world,  but the fact that Gordon Ramsay feels the same way made it taste all the better.

We were offered some mocktails, as my husband and I don’t drink alcohol, and I knew we’re in good hands when I had my first sip and saw that contrary to 90% of the mocktails in Dubai, this was wasn’t overly sweet, and was utterly refreshing- just what I needed after a long week at work.

Gordon Ramsay arrived around 7:30, after a full day of interviews, but being a true people’s person, he treated us all to a little (staged) smoothie making competition in the Bread Street Kitchen garden, between 3 contestants, in which they powered the blenders by riding a bike each for 3 minutes, and then Gordon tasted and reviewed all of them. It was timed just perfectly without being too long, was fun and entertaining, and gave all the guests a live taste of what we love the most: Gordon Ramsay reviewing food in his very colorful language. Don’t worry- it was entirely PG, but there was some classic tossing of the worst smoothie into the bin (or bushes in this case), which we all kind of live for on Masterchef. And if that doesn’t sound awesome enough, he treated a squealing audience to some selfies while the contestants while cycling with all their might to blend their smoothies.

After that, the media got to meet Gordon Ramsay one at a time, in the kitchen. I am completely smitten by how polite, friendly, and approachable Gordon Ramsay is! No, the cussing and swearing isn’t an act, he does have a very creative and witty language, but he’s not a rude jerk and he’s not a diva, is what I’m saying. Most of the times, meeting a celebrity ends up being a bit of an anti-climax and a touch of the Paris Syndrome, but if anything at all, I love Gordon Ramsay more than ever now!

Dinner was a set menu, and the first course was a chilled British pea and coconut soup. It was velvety, delicious, with the vibrant freshness of peas and the creamy richness of coconut and I absolutely loved it. A lot of times ideas don’t translate well on plates, and it’s the delicate balance of ingredients and seasoning that end up making or breaking a dish, and I knew as soon as I had my first spoon of soup that Gordon Ramsay is not just an overhyped celebrity chef; he and his team know how to cook. My only grievance was that there was no soup spoon, and everyone had to have their soups with then biggest tablespoons.

Next up, the starter was a generous portion of tuna tartare with avocado, sesame oil and what tasted like a touch of hot sauce. I am an absolute fool for sesame oil, and this was the best tuna tartare I’ve ever had. I realize I may have said that before – I do love tuna tartare a lot- but we can henceforth disregard every tuna tartare I may have loved in the past, for this was beyond perfection. The tuna was chopped up just right, so that it was still delicate and melting in our mouths but not without texture. It was a tartare and not cat-food pâté-like, which is another thing a lot of restaurants tend to get wrong. The seasoning was perfectly balanced, and both my husband and I wiped our plates clean and relished every bite.

The main course was sadly my least favorite one of the night, but my husband absolutely loved it. It was a hearty plate of baked corn-fed chicken with leeks, butter beans, baby spinach and truffle. I like everything on the plate except the chicken, but to be fair, I’m quite picky with how I like my chicken.

Dessert was another winner though, so the meal ended on as high a note as it started on. It was “Cheesecake in a jam jar”, but instead of layers of crushed graham crackers/Digestive biscuits, there were layers of finely chopped nuts. What a great way to treat yourself without consuming enough calories for a baby elephant (which is what I’m guilty of on a daily basis).

Throughout the meal, the Brazen team kept coming to check up on us, asking us if we’re having a good time and enjoying the meal, and their warmth seemed very genuine. I just couldn’t help but give them a slow-clap in my head because such few PR companies in Dubai portray that level of professionalism and love for their jobs. They surprised us with some cookbooks signed by Gordon Ramsay, which was the cherry on my absolute sundae of an evening, because I had been completely beating myself up for having forgotten to bring a cookbook with me to ask for Gordon Ramsay to sign!

Our server for the evening was a most polite gentleman named Kingston. He was  well-trained, very professional and courteous. I had already decided to write in to the restaurant and let them know what a good job he did, but he completely won me over when he said “please give us an honest review, we welcome your feedback on how we can improve and serve you better”. Bread Street Kitchen Dubai and Gordon Ramsay, you’re doing it right. You’re doing it so very right.