Miami Gets a Gordon Ramsay Redux

Though Miami has been trending for years as a nexus of the global food scene, attracting celebrity chefs from corners of the world near and far, one big name—arguably the biggest name—was missing from the city’s all-star lineup: Gordon Ramsay. The British chef and television personality (whose restaurants have been awarded 17 Michelin stars over the years and shows have branded him a sharp-tongued, no-nonsense mentor and judge) had touched down in several American cities yet managed to evade our burgeoning metropolis. That is, until now.

Making up for lost time, Ramsay recently debuted not one but two restaurants. First came Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen in Downtown, a 16,000-square-foot-plus, two-story fine dining restaurant inspired by his hit television show and featuring his acclaimed classics like beef Wellington, pan-seared scallops, and sticky toffee pudding. Next arrived Lucky Cat, a dimly lit, dinner-only concept serving sublime pan-Asian cuisine and designed in the vein of Tokyo’s 1930s kissas (jazz clubs) and drinking dens of the Far East. This first U.S. outpost of Lucky Cat (located in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood) follows in the footsteps of its two lauded locations across the pond, in London and Manchester, with a few notable Miami exclusives.

During Lucky Cat’s debut weekend, Aventura spent ample time with chef Ramsay, delighting in a private, 16-course lunch prepared by the superstar and then attending his celeb-studded grand opening party.

During the VIP lunch, several things stood out, starting with Ramsay’s demeanor, which surprisingly skewed teddy bear instead of raging bull. (The kitchen and waitstaff simply adored him—as did we!) He also took tremendous pride and exhibited palpable excitement in delivering every dish to our table, noting the origins of each ingredient, cooking techniques applied, and flavor combinations chosen to yield maximum taste.

Take the barbecued sea bream, for example. Ramsay explains that an unlikely key to its greatness is “extracting the water in the drying process [in the dry-age cellar] for seven to 10 days.” This leads to “maturity in the flavor and the density of the flesh being so much greater, helping the fish crisp even better” on the robata grill and complementing the spiced black vinegar and shiso oil. When it comes to the confit duck leg bao, he details the quest for textural and taste perfection that required three years of training in France, which he now applies to his master process. That entails “brining [the duck leg], marinating it, coating it in bonito flakes,” slow cooking it, and then at the end of the confit, “shallow frying it very crisp and finishing it off in the salamander (broiler)” before serving it in a fresh bao bun alongside spicy hoisin and pickled apple cucumbers.

Across 16 courses—which began with hyper-fresh nigiri, included the Miami exclusive “baked clay pot glass noodles” with lobster, five-spice pork belly, and jalapeño, and ended with a finale of “lucky lollies,” frozen treats in matcha raspberry and chocolate miso flavors—nothing fell short of fabulous. Sampling similar dishes and more at the grand opening party the following night, extreme quality and Ramsay’s prowess again reigned supreme. Beyond the elevated cuisine, Lucky Cat’s retro-chic Asian inspiration fosters an idyllic ambience for a sexy, global-inspired night on the town. Enhanced by a solid
cocktail program, an eight-seat chef’s table, and top-notch service, the long-awaited Lucky Cat constitutes a bona fide next-level restaurant by the ultimate next-level chef.

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