2026 saw TEN years of three Michelin star retention for Jean-Philippe Blondet and the team at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.
JP, along with Alberto Gobbo and the team, masterfully use seasonal ingredients to create unique tasting menus of contemporary French cuisine. Retaining three Michelin stars for a decade takes a lifetime of dedication. Cooking at this level is all about consistency, a huge depth of quality and creating dishes that honour quality, seasonality and sustainability while delivering that x-factor of emotion and personality on a plate.
The Chef
Chef Patron, Jean-Philippe Blondet, has officially hit a career milestone after leading The Dorchester Restaurant for one decade and retaining his three Michelin-stars. He first crossed paths with Alain Ducasse in London at Spoon at Sanderson, and then moved to Alain Ducasse’s 3-Michelin-starred restaurant at Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at l’Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. In September 2013, he returned to London and joined the Alain Ducasse restaurant at The Dorchester as a sous chef, and after two short years became head chef, and was appointed executive chef in 2016.
The Menu and Food
The Alain Ducasse menu is carefully curated and follows the original philosophy of its founder, Alain Ducasse, who has a policy of sourcing only the best ingredients because fresh ingredients are the base of any good meal. At the restaurant, they source most ingredients from England and France and boast an extensive list of fine wines.
The restaurant has a tasting menu which changes regularly, but they also have their own signature dishes, which they have become known for. One of their most popular dishes is the hand-dived scallop, citrus beurre blanc. Every sauce is made uniquely for every dish and uses different seasonal ingredients to elevate the dish it is on. In the case of the scallops, the hand-dived scallops are caught individually to ensure they are fresh and the best they can be. The sauce they are made in is the French citrus beurre blanc, which is a French buttery sauce made with wine and shallots, with an added nontraditional citrus twist. When the scallops and beurre blanc are paired together, they form an elegant balance of light acidity with buttery sweetness. Other featured dishes include the lobster medallion, chicken quenelle with Périgord truffle, which is just as unique as the scallops. Their changing menus and divine sauces leave a lasting impression.
The Restaurant and The Team
The restaurant is proudly led by Restaurant Director Marion Pépin, who is wonderful and has the skill of being a superb listener. The way that Marion and the team anticipate and provide such natural, friendly service is brilliant. The interior of the restaurant was designed by the duo Jouin Manku whose repertoire includes the Ducasse Paris projects in Paris, Monaco, and Las Vegas. Their inspiration for the interior of The Dorchester comes from the greenery of Hyde Park, as calming green accents and natural shapes can be found throughout the decor. Some more unique accents can be found as well, seen in their walls, which have thousands of green buttons on them as accents.
For more information, visit the Alain Ducasse Restaurant at The Dorchester
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All Images Courtesy of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.