Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef extraordinaire

Tatler discovers why Gordon Ramsay is one of few celebrities with multigenerational fans and someone everyone loves to watch

Seated opposite me in 8 Mayfair, one of three private dining rooms in the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Sunway Resort Hotel—all rich red and forest green furnishings with brass accents—Gordon Ramsay mentions beef Wellington, his signature dish, about five times throughout our interview. One of those mentions is a not-so-humble brag: “In order to leave your mark on the table and upset everybody [at a potluck dinner], I’d bring the perfect Wellington because no one can ever beat my Wellington.”

He has reason to be this confident. Throughout his career, Ramsay’s restaurants worldwide have earned a total of 17 Michelin stars; in the global ranking, his establishments come third, behind those of only Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. More recently, less than a year since it opened, the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill in Malaysia has been named Best New Restaurant and one of the Top 20 Restaurants by Tatler Dining for 2023.

In June 2022, team Ramsay opened the venue at Sunway Resort Hotel, the first foreign outpost of his Bar & Grill; and on this bright and early Thursday morning in December 2022, team Tatler gets one hour—no more, no less—to style, shoot and interview him.

Above Boss navy suit and T-shirt

The most surprising thing I learn about Ramsay, a man known for his love of big flavours, is that he likes oatmeal. In fact, it’s the one dish he says he could have every day. “I know that’s not a meal but it’s a great start for any chef; made with oat milk and puree of dates, it’s the best thing ever for breakfast. High in fibre, low in calories and just a great base.”

This is literally a beige answer but his love is true: he mentions oatmeal again, as part of his perfect-day routine, including his eating schedule. “Five o’clock in the morning, I’ll do a 60-minute HIIT in the gym. Then six or seven, I’ll get ready: coffee, oatmeal. Then I’m busy from 9am in the restaurants. Midday, quick tasting, maybe five or six dishes, one tiny spoon at a time. Afternoon: a beautiful fruit, and a protein shake. And then dinner is steamed fish, vegetables, and no dairy. So I’d rather eat four times a day—small bowls—than a big lunch, a big dinner and a late breakfast.”

Above Gucci wool jacket and trousers

This is presumably the kind of routine and precision you need to run a kitchen and an empire, be a blockbuster chef, and juggle the worlds of tablespoons and teleprompters. The multi-award winning Ramsay is one of the world’s highest valued chefs and famous for his TV productions of foreboding or emotionally charged titles: Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen, Hotel Hell and MasterChef.

With so many restaurants to his name, from France to Singapore to the US, the experience gets better with each new opening—at least, he tells me, that’s what he’d like to think. “This restaurant [in Malaysia] has hit the ground running and we got off on the most amazing start. I want to get it absolutely spot on. Working with local chefs and training has been key for me. And so I want to get this one absolutely right.”

The beef Wellington is the main attraction for most Malaysians who make the pilgrimage to the restaurant. To maintain the standards and keep it consistent here, Ramsay shares that they implement training videos that tap into the recipe database at his academy in the UK, The Gordon Ramsay Academy.

Above Gucci wool jacket

Together with visiting chefs that come over from Europe and step-by-step masterclass videos on putting dishes together, Ramsay says this is how he maintains high standards across the globe.

His fingerprint is everywhere in the restaurant, from the menu to the ceiling that is gilded up to the heavens; “Lighting was crucial here so we worked endlessly with it.” A monumental chandelier hangs from the main dining room ceiling, which in turn has been hand-coated in 24-karat gold leaf, making sure it’s lit magnificently; but, as Ramsay stresses, “the customers are the star”.

The journey to Malaysia started back in 2010, sort of. Ramsay did a Southeast Asia tour which included Malaysia for his show Gordon’s Great Escape and he quickly connected with the food here, speaking of it with reverence: “Malaysian cuisine for me was one of the best-kept secrets.”

In the Malaysian episode, and to the delight of Malaysian viewers, he gets lightly ribbed by two aunties as they teach him their signature dishes. “What I did learn for the first time properly was to cook a beautiful fish curry down to the authenticity of the paste and the marinade of the fish,” he says.

Then a decade later, presented with an opportunity by Sunway Resort Hotel, team Ramsay says they found “the perfect partners and the perfect location” for the international setting of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill. And now, here we are with him in this new restaurant of his in Malaysia, British vibes firmly in place.

The night before his interview with Tatler was his first time seeing it in person and he’s happy with how it turned out. “Beautiful. We walk in and it’s just wow, we’re stepping into an oasis of a crossover of stunning architecture with the most amazing finishing.”

Above Gordon Ramsay is one of two cover personalities in February 2023, our Food issue

To read the rest of the story, pick up a copy of the February 2023 issue at bookshops and newsstands, or click here for the digital copy.

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Credits

Photography

Chee Wei

Styling

Ervin Tan

Topics

Gordon Ramsay

Tatler Asia

The person behind Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef extraordinaire