The Ledbury

The Ledbury
The Ledbury on 127 Ledbury Road in Notting Hill
The Ledbury, on 127 Ledbury Road
Map
Restaurant information
Established2005; 19 years ago (2005) (first iteration)
February 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02) (reopening)
Closed2020; 4 years ago (2020) (first iteration)
Head chefBrett Graham and Tom Spenceley
Food typeModern European
Rating
Street addressLedbury Road,
Notting Hill
CityLondon, W11
CountryUnited Kingdom
Seating capacity45 (2022–present)
55 (2005–2020)
ReservationsYes
Other informationNearest station:
London Underground Westbourne Park
WebsiteOfficial website

The Ledbury is a restaurant located on Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, England. It held two Michelin stars from 2010 until 2021, when it lost them as it shut due to Covid-19 restrictions being impractical for the restaurant, making it ineligible for assessment by Michelin inspectors. It has also been featured in S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant reopened in February 2022, after being closed for almost 2 years. It regained both Michelin stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide and was promoted to three Michelin stars in the 2024 Michelin guide.

The chef-patron is Brett Graham, and he has been received favorably by critics. Graham continues to actively run the kitchen alongside head chef Tom Spenceley.

History

The restaurant opened in 2005. It was the sister restaurant of The Square, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair, London, with the same backers investing in both restaurants.[1] The Square closed permanently in early 2020. The restaurant gained a Michelin star within a year of opening,[2] but sales only increased by 2009.[3] A second Michelin star followed in 2010.[2] Also in 2010, it was awarded the Square Meal BMW Restaurant of the Year Award.[4]

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Graham announced in June 2020 that the restaurant would remain closed indefinitely, citing one-metre social distancing measures in place as impractical to keep staff and customers safe.[5] Due to its closure, The Ledbury lost its two Michelin stars from January 2021 until March 2023, when it regained both.[6]

The Ledbury was refurbished and then reopened to the public in early February 2022.[7][8] Its seating capacity was reduced from 55 to 45 in favor of a centre table to be used by the serving staff.[7]

Reception

Giles Coren visited the restaurant for The Times' shortly after it opened. He described it as having a "hushed, moneyed feel"[9] Terry Durack also reviewed the restaurant during 2005, for The Independent on Sunday. He described the restaurant as "seriously good", and thought it was off to a "very good start".[10]

In 2008, Matthew Norman, writing in The Guardian, commented on its "recession-resistant prices" and gave it 9.25 out of 10.[11] Jasper Gerard ate at the restaurant for The Daily Telegraph in 2010, describing some courses as "scrumptious", but he felt that the dessert options were a let down compared to the rest of the dishes on offer.[1]

Harden's restaurant guide describes the food at The Ledbury as "genius" and scores the food as a one, service as a one and ambience as a two. It uses a scale of one to five, where one is high and five is low.[12]

Awards

Chef and co-restaurateur

The restaurant's chef-patron Brett Graham was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia in 1979. He worked as an apprentice at a fish restaurant called Scratchleys. Then at age 18, he moved to a Sydney restaurant, Banc.[2] He immigrated to London in the early 2000s after winning the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award in Sydney.[17] He had previously worked at The Square as a sous chef for three and a half years under its chef-patron, Phil Howard.[2] Graham won the Young Chef of the Year in 2002 from the Restaurant Association.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Gerard, Jasper (29 January 2010). "London Restaurant Guide: The Ledbury in Notting Hill, London". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Brett Graham, the Ledbury, the Harwood Arms". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b Palling, Bruce (28 November 2011). "Squid Globules To Die For". Newsweek International. Retrieved 2 September 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "BMW Square Meal Award - Hall of Fame". Square Meal. Monomax Ltd. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  5. ^ "The Ledbury to close 'indefinitely' due to Covid-19". Harden's. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. ^ Baldwin, Caroline (25 January 2021). "Michelin makes surprise deletions from 2021 guide". The Caterer. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b Hui, Angela (19 January 2022). "Beloved Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury is back from the dead". Time Out. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. ^ Hanly, Catherine (15 February 2022). "Michelin announce their 2022 special awards – London gets best sommelier, chef mentor and young chefs". Hot Dinners. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ^ Coren, Giles (28 May 2005). "The Ledbury". The Times. London. Retrieved 29 November 2009.[dead link‍]
  10. ^ Durack, Terry (22 May 2005). "Eating Out: Prodigious talent; The Ledbury's head chef Brett Graham may be very young at just 26, but his cooking demonstrates an accomplished maturity far beyond his tender years". The Independent on Sunday. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2012. (subscription required)
  11. ^ Norman, Matthew (26 April 2008). "Restaurant review: The Ledbury, London W11". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  12. ^ "The Ledbury". Harden's. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Daniel Kleemann – Küchenchef im kuli.nariath". Gourmet Report (in German). 20 March 2014.
  14. ^ "The Ledbury gets three Michelin stars on a bumper night for London restaurants at the 2024 Michelin star reveal". Hot Dinners. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  15. ^ Ruddick, Peter (3 May 2012). "Brett Graham admits Highest Climber award will put more pressure on The Ledbury". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  16. ^ "The Ledbury wins National Restaurant Awards for second year running". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  17. ^ a b Durack, Terry (22 May 2005). "Eating Out: Prodigious talent". The Independent. p. 35. ProQuest 336929366.

51°31′00″N 0°12′00″W / 51.5167°N 0.2001°W / 51.5167; -0.2001