Gordon Ramsay Chose PH for His Next Culinary Adventure

Why Gordon Ramsay Chose PH for His Next Culinary Adventure

Story by Esquire Philippines

19 August 2024

What we know so far? The Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill is set to tantalize taste buds with a meticulously curated featuring the chef's legendary Beef Wellington, an eclectic wine selection, and specially crafted house cocktails. The venue also offers two exclusive Private Dining Rooms, designed for intimate dinners, tastings, and gatherings, ensuring a personalized and memorable dining experience.

In the Q&A below, Ramsay shares more details about his latest culinary venture, what makes a great chef, how he maintains his creativity, and the legacy he hopes to leave in the culinary world.

Why did you choose the Philippines as the next location for your restaurant?

The Philippines is an incredible country. With its stunning location in Asia and such a diverse and multicultural population, it really is a food lover's dream. The new restaurant inside Newport World Resorts is beautiful because it feels like being in London, and I love the Cool Britannia vibe.

Can you tell us more about the team behind your restaurant here in the Philippines?

For me, it is incredibly important that both our front and back-of-house teams are made up of a talented local workforce. We, of course, have an international team that trains our new recruits. However, we have found such a brilliant, enthusiastic team in Manila, and we are lucky to have them.

How do you feel your approach to cooking and restaurant management has evolved over the years?

Everything evolves over time. I have the absolute luxury of being able to travel for work. When filming Unchartered for National Geographic, I visit more remote places, away from the tourist hot spots, and get to meet local chefs and food providers, doing incredible things with incredible ingredients. These countries and people teach me things I have never learned before. I get to try dishes I’ve never tried before, such as deep-fried bull’s testicles or an amazing rice pudding in India. I never want to stop learning.

What do you think is the most significant impact you've had on the culinary world, both through your restaurants and your television presence?

I hope throughout the years I’ve inspired people, whether it be to learn to cook, get better at cooking, or strive for culinary perfection. To be inspired to cook at home, bring family together to break bread around the dinner table, or be curious enough about a new cuisine to book a restaurant.

What drives you to keep pushing boundaries and striving for excellence after achieving so much in your career?

Are you trying to shove me off to retirement? Damn no! There’s always more to learn, more to teach and share. I love what I do, that’s what keeps pushing me every single day!

How do you handle criticism, whether from food critics, customers, or the public, and what have you learned from it?

Criticism is healthy, what I have learnt from it, don’t take it personally.

In your opinion, what are the key differences between a good chef and a great chef?

[A great chef has] passion, the relentless desire to be better today than you were yesterday. Someone who understands the whole dining experience, and who is keen to mentor and share the journey and the success unselfishly. Anyone can learn to cook, it’s how you visualize the bigger picture that makes you great.

How do you nurture and maintain creativity in such a high-pressure, competitive industry?

My team and I travel. When you’re on Stewart Island in New Zealand, sitting high on a hillside overlooking the waves crashing on the beach below, learning the Maori traditional way of cooking with heated rocks dug into the earth, it’s very easy to shut out the noise and just be. Stop, strip back, and learn. I will always embrace my vulnerability to expand my repertoire.

If you could experiment with one ingredient, technique, or dish without limitations, what would it be and why?

That’s an impossible question to answer as there simply isn’t one. What I am most excited by and curious about is the ingredient, technique or dish I don’t know about yet. The places I go and the people I meet, who are so generous with their old family recipes, the amazing ingredient that they forage, or the cove that they fish in that I am going to get to discover for the first time—that’s what excites me.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave not just as a chef, but as a mentor and influencer in the culinary world?

I think it's in the incredible talent that I have had the pleasure to work with over 25 years. To me, that is a true legacy when the seeds that you planted grow and become the mentors of the future.