I Tried a $15K Sommelier Table Experience at a 3 Michelin Star (London)
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- The sommelier’s table. It’s a private room with dedicated staff and your private sommelier, and I have never tried it. Until today. But with a price tag of $15K euros, will it be a one and done? Or my new favorite thing. Join me and find out.
In this special episode, we are heading to London to a 3 Michelin star restaurant.
Helen Darroze at the Connaught.
www.the-connau...
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Watch me critique my restaurant - • Critiquing MY OWN MICH...
Follow my journey on instagram: / alexandertheguest
My name is Alexander. I’m the co-owner of a ONE Michelin star restaurant, and I’m on a mission - to find inspiration in gastronomy. I love fine dining, good wine and sharing what I know with other people.
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Check out my restaurant:
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HeleneDarroze, TheConnaught, 3 michelin star, restaurant, London, michelin star, michelin guide, fine dining, three michelin stars, United Kingdom
Eating my $5 chicken and brocolli meal while pretending i'm a part of this experience. I love it haha
fake it till ya make it
Im eating pancakes and can oinly dream of having chicken
Grass is always greener hehehe
It's all about the return on your investment.
Poptart and coffee for me.
That is, my friend, the whole point of these videos.
I paired my grilled American cheese with a light and fruity Miller Light and a side of Utz plain potato chips. $1.50. Delish.
Ahhh the Miller 2024. In the UK we aren't so lucky. I did find a cheeky cider to pair with my beans on toast. With cheese grated at the table. The final bill was too ridiculous to say!
@@peacefrogx5143 I love a nice crisp Magnus cider with a hot curry.
I hope the slight acidity from your fruity Miller Light paired well with your Pasteurized cheese product on your sliced wheat loaf and the delicate crunch of the potato crisps!
That price in2024? BS.
When you realise that you can have this for lunch for 30 years for the same price as this single meal...
I think it is wild that you all had this filmed back in 2023 and are only releasing it now.
It really shows how intentional you all are being with this channel. You are an overnight success many many many years in the making.
Too bad half of the videos are fakes
@@geoffreyk9164 what do you mean?
yeah what do you mean? @@geoffreyk9164
@@geoffreyk9164 How so?
This one is real though I know the team there
This channel is such a gem. Alexander and his team are doing a wonderful job. The sheer quality of the videos is stunning, from storytelling to production. It's like I am watching a mini-documentary with a short history lesson! You inspired me to become interested in fine dining and explore the world of culinary arts.
Keep up the great work!
Too bad people are saying most of these videos are fakes
@@geoffreyk9164 How would they be fakes? I would understand that he and his camera team would need the restaurant staff to maybe perform some activities for the camera again but overall it seems genuine.
@@gauravshukla71Here's where the fakery falls into this, central London marketing agencies would charge millions to market a place like this because it is now no longer possible to remain in peoples minds when the changing landscape of London has businesses and restaurants closing and opening every single day therefore rather than have Alexander pay for the full fifteen thousand experience and letting him do it independently risking undesirable feedback they give the entire experience for free on the condition they are allowed to review the footage which means it's turned into a free marketing tool where they reach millions of new wealthy people using social media to stay up to date on restaurants and it costs them nothing compared to the option I just mentioned.
@@gauravshukla71It's marketing that's why, they're gifting an experience of fifteen thousand so it reaches millions in wealthy people across the globe who now use social media to keep up to date on the best restaurants as opposed to word of mouth.
@@Johnnystammy Got it - so you're thinking sponsored but it's not disclosed. It's a possibility but Alexander does call out dishes and restaurants he doesn't like.
Regardless, I actually do like seeing the dishes so that I can make a decision of where I'd like to go if I'm close (would be a very special occasion for me)
That meal looked incredible, but until I saw the bill, I thought they were charging $15k for the "Sommelier Table Experience." That raised some alarm bells. But once I saw the bill and that the cost for the table was only $2,500 (still a lot), I thought it sounded a lot more reasonable. I didn't realize that $12,500 of the bill (give or take) was based on a selection of incredibly expensive wine.
Clickbait title.
He got scammed, nothing more. A regular 96 retails at 500 euro, or 2000 for a double magnum and he paid over 7000 euro for it. The place should be ashamed of itself treating wine lovers like that.
I don't think you understand that no restaurant sells wine at retail price. A 2-3x mark up is considered fairly standard and this is right in that ballpark.
@d3c0yn4m3l355 also, in the UK, good luck finding a bottle of '96 Krug on its own. Oftentimes you'll have to fork out for an entire case of 6 or 12 (so spending a minimum of almost £3k), which offers a rarity value and a kind-of "finder's fee" alongside its age. As someone else mentioned, restaurant markups of alcohol are going to be really rather different than buying at retail price, because you often find that the food margins are tiny (especially when paying for so many people in the kitchen, high quality ingredients, etc.) in order to keep food prices as low as they can justify so you can get through the door (and then spend the rest of your £££ on alcohol), and usually use the profits from the alcohol to pay the base salary of the staff etc. Unfortunately if we push the margins of alcohol down, the food would have to go up, disincentivising people going to restaurants at all 😅 it's a cruel equation, but fine dining makes little money as it is as so many of their costs (mostly utilities, rent, maintenance, & staff) are so high... The real money is in the big chains and conglomerates, you should see the massive margins that they have and how little they pay their staff for the effoet and hours they put in 😅
@@d3c0yn4m3l355 You don't understand this guy wants to be sure the wine is as good as advertised. As explained in the start, sure you can find a cheaper bottle at retail but you're never sure of the quality. Here he pays for the direct-to-basement nature of it, plus of course being in a restaurant. The guy probably repeats this every other video, that the most risk-free way to enjoy fine wine is in restaurants. Apparently he's willing to pay for it.
It’s the first video I have seen from you where I would actually like to eat everything they gave you! It all looked so good! Amazing! Love the history of that hotel. I remember it when I lived in London. Lots of great grand old hotels there. I also loved Helen’s back story. The main Chef. How she was pulled out of the “darkness” of the back office to the “light” of the kitchen! Then the rest is history!
You are crazy! This is so interesting for us all to see how chefs and front staff work at this level keep it up man!
Congratulations on 300K, well deserved.
I see now so many food critics, but no one, literally NO ONE, so bold, smart and gentile as Alexander. Many have too much to learn! Way to go
I love your videos. I have never been to these restaurants, I can’t smell the food, or taste the wine. Yet, you still make me feel like I’m there with you while just watching on my phone. It’s very fun to watch and hear your expertise. Cheers and thanks!
I remember watching a video a couple years ago where a group interviewed them. I really loved the staffs dynamic and they make sure everything is perfect. they take all the small details into consideration and refine it. It’s was really cool video to watch.
I don't know why but these videos are always sort of relaxing to watch.
Always a “great” day with Alexander the guest
This channel never ceases to amaze me. I am by no means rich, but I sure love to live vicariously through your travels among the best restaurants in the world
Sunday with Alex is 3 Michelin star day
This is truly incredible. You have family around sharing an amazing experience together. That’s a blessing all in itself. Look forward to more of your videos!
Alexander The Guest, Your videos are fantastic! I just had to subscribe!
Im so excited every Sunday for a new video. Always great! Please make more videos Alexander!
Great in depth video again Alexander. I m a fan since almost day 1!
not many things that get me as excited as a vid from this channel
Excellent! I am struck by the way you present the dishes and the wine. Lots of love and a deep, seemingly unbiased understanding of what is presented. ❤
You do realize I live vicariously through your videos while eating Mac and Cheese leftovers over the kitchen sink.
LMAO!! Right!?
I have 20+ years in the industry.
We are right there with you.
Its a catch22. Once you reach a certain level, you can make things better than most places.. So take out sucks.. And you cook ALL day/night so you dont want cook for yourself.. It kinda ruins most food.
@@samsham8218 Seriously, these videos have motivated me to choose one of the top restaurants and dine with my family someday.
@samsham8218
I have a rule. I will only eat out things that are either impossible or beyond incredibly time consuming to make in a home kitchen with standard kitchen gear.
Like I wont go out to eat pasta, steak, etc. I eat a lot of stuff from different cultures that take spices or cooking techniques I dont have or dont know.
@@childofcascadiame to, hate going out and my friends order a schnitzel or something. I'm like "dude I'll cook that for you anytime " order something nice would ya 😅
Thanks Alex. The quality of this video is just like that dessert at 12:03
Its Pearfect 🍐
Great video and lovely narration. Thanks for letting us get a sneak peak into this amazing experience
We love your channel and watch your videos every night. We are living vicariously through your amazing restaurant experiences. Your depth of knowledge of wines and food is truly amazing. You not only critique the food but the service and decor. All of these are very important in creating a fine dining experience. We respect and appreciate your expertise, passion and dedication to creating an excellent video. Much blessings to you, your family and the team.
Ok calm down
Too bad a lot of the videos are fakes
@@geoffreyk9164 Really? How so?
@@geoffreyk9164 You keep posting this......Post a link with proof and we'll watch. That's all that's needed.
Only missed opportunity was to have some stunning dessert wines with the dessert courses. They have Egon Muller riesling, so likely to have a tba from that producer, which is one of the world’s best sweet wines. The focus on old Italian wines tells me they should have some old vin santo. Or even just a glass of Yquem. Other than that, looks magical.
Wowwwww, over 10.000 views in an hour, well done !! Really nice video again, loved watching it and seeing all the great dishes and beautiful wines ❤🔥
Man the plating on the deserts is absolutley gorgeous
Loved those Christmas decorations that blend in so well with the dining room!
Love this place, the staff here is so consistent. Can be at any of the many bars, restaurants, cigar lounge, spa, housekeeping etc. not something you always see even at the highest level properties.
The wine list here is famously marked up though. 4-5x retail isn’t uncommon!
I really appreciate how he did some research to nail the italian names pronunciations, outstanding review!
I like how they spent more than $15,000.00 on one meal, but only spent $1.00 on the Street Smart charity thing.
It's important to give back
Just look at the vat they paid...
Looked like a lovely rare experience. Well done Alexander and team
The food looks incredible. Absolutely perfect. It's not over-the-top or silly. Just great flavors and presentation.
I was fortunate to eat there a number of years ago - at that time the wines were built around significant dates/locations you provide then the menu paired with the wines. Magical.
Excellent video, high production value and great insight!
Great video. The inclusion of the £1 charity contribution on the bill is hilarious too.
Never heard of a sommelier table before, I do like the idea. When you think about how much some private experiences cost that are mediocre, but just for rich people to say they've done it, 15k almost sounds like a bargain; that's the stage we've gotten to with gimmicks.
You can make it as stupidly expensive as you wish, but it's 2500 euro for the food and you can then choose wines according to what your wallet can bear. Yeah, very expensive, but you'll get an experience you won't soon forget. Although I think that going for the lunchmenu and winepairing is a lot more affordable and will very likely come close to the same experience, food-wise.
@@StCreed Plus that table is up to 8 people, so with more people the average cost goes down quickly.
@@StCreed 2500 euro is to keep it exclusive for people who actually want to spend money on the wine. The 2240 extra charge on the food is the gatekeeper. They won't want you to go sit there and buy only a couple of 100 euro wine bottles. It's not worth it to them.
The production, presentation, knowledge, experience, everything can be rated 4 ⭐.
Headed to Darozze this Saturday, going for a bottle of Krug with great friends. Couldn’t imagine a better time!
There is a documentary titled "SOMM", and if you've not seen it, I highly recommend you do. I'm not a wine drinker (something about the sulfites tears my stomach up), but the doc was fascinating and I ended up extremely invested in the subjects.
Excellent presentation and review! Love your videos!
Too bad many of them are fakes
The camera work is amazing! Nice close up shots on the food.
I always enjoy your content. You deserve to have 500k subscribers.
Felt peckish late in the evening and sliced up some cucumber, Italian tomatoes, added rucola, some feta, black olives, capers, dressing made out of dried Italian herbs/fresh garlic/extra vergine oil/balsamico/freshly ground pepper/salt/cane sugar, and munched it all down while watching another great episode. Had a glass of NZ Marlborough Falcon sauvignon blanc to accompany it. 😋
Fresh garlic in vinaigrettes is quite underrated ;p Your salad sounds delicious, cheers !
The quote made me smile at the end, food and drink is about emotions. I rank everything, and above a 10 is when a dish is "emotional", when it connects in some way that goes beyond words or a traditional attempt to rank and rate it.
P.S - Surprised you didn't try an armagnac whilst here, they literally have a menu just for the stuff. Would recommend ;).
We're eating there next month, and I've been looking forward to it all year. Even more so now!
You are the EVEREST Alex, always the BEST. The beautiful craft of the dishes and your pairings are just mind blowing. You take me to a different planet always.
Another great episode Alexander, I love the concept of a sommelier table, I've seen several chefs' tables but not sommelier's, great for the wine guy 🙂 The food looked fantastic, but I agree with you a couple more dishes would have been great. plates were also great, several from Spain I noticed and some great glassware. the Videography was really good also, thank you.
Hi Chief. Very enjoyable video. Entertaining, educational and enchanting.
Great channel...but these prices are becoming obscene..😢
but its made clear the prices are often like that because of the special purchases he makes like the 96 krug. i often find the prices surprising for the basic pairings for some of the "best" places in the world in a good way and enjoy seeing alex splurge on some of the rarer things.
Not really considering the quality
It's mostly because of the wine selections. The 1996 Krug alone was 6,500 GBP.
For you perhaps..for many this is pocket change. But I think this is the appeal of this channel. Alexander takes you with him to these restaurants so you can get a feel for what it's like - without actually going there. Others might use these videos to plan their next trip... 🙂
Yeah, we like to keep the bums out.
Excellent videos and very solid knowledge of the restaurants, chefs, wines and all the dishes. It would be interesting to hear the sound of when you actually eat each dish and its textures and the pouring of all the wines and champagnes it's all part of the experience.
Clos du Mesnil is my preferred champagne since I chose one to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The sommelier was very helpful and understanding. Great people.
Naturally it won't work with everything, the dinner itself should be composed to get a great mariage.
That's the case of every fine wine. As a French it's a national sport to compose and arrange recipes and wines, to compliment or to oppose. Both are valuable.
Greetings from Venezuela! Lovely to hear something about our chocolate
The tandoori spice and carrot garnish was 1 of the best i ever had! I had it with lobster! 1 of my favorite dishes ever! It was an memorable visit at helene darroze!
You got me excited for Xmas already ATG!
You are an exceptional story-teller
It sounded like you said "We are a party of former lovers". LOL
i still dont know what he said
I think this is the first time outside of Japan that I have heard mention of Joshu wagyu from Gunma. I had the pleasure of having it during a kaiseki meal in Gunma earlier this year, and it was melt-in-your mouth and delicious. Went very well with the house sake I was served!
a lot of things to learn and see what i actually inside of that hotel even though I pass by very often. Thank you for showing us.
I love this channel for the journeys we go on to places that I know I can never visit in real life. The spending at this one though on the wines in particular is bonkers.
Just finished my 3 course $8 tasting menu with wine pairing consisting of a frozen meatloaf dinner with 2 vegetables, empanada & a Krispy Crene donut paired with a glass of May 2024 Napa red! A great nourishing meal!
hahahaha
Today I got really jealous. What a great event. great video as usual. Looks so professional.
What a resume for the chef. Must be very special having her there in person.
Ate here for the first time last week! Unforgettable experience and impeccable service.
I live in London. Hélène Darroze is on my to-do list, but I think the Sommelier Table Experience is beyond me financially!
instant ramen with a side of red bull was a fine pairing for this experience
So it seems the high costs are more due to the expensive drinks, not so much the food. It is basically more like a wine tasting with some „snacks“.
The crab and grapefruit course looked so interesting! I would love to experience that
Living vicariously through you, Alex.
congratulations on 300k Alexander!
Monster Somm Episode!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 The Krug Jeroboam, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva White Rioja 86!!!!! Petrus 1999!!! Rockstar ATG!
It’s cool that you go and check out all these awesome places. It just makes me wonder if you can enjoy the simple pleasures of a grilled cheese sandwich.
This Dr Pepper has 23 unique flavors, vintage 2024. Excellent mouth feel and Refreshing finish.
Correct. Ex-cellar or ex-chateau is an ideal way to insure perfect provenance of the wine. Also correct that a Jeroboam is 3 liters if we are talking about Champagne. For still wines it is a 4.5 liter bottle otherwise a 3 liter of still wine is referred to as a double magnum. The food looked quite good but other than the Krug and Petrus the wines were a bit underwhelming. No Burgundy selections?! For the price one would expect some Burgundy rouge options.
Alex, you are a serious wine drinker (and a burgundy enthusiast), as one can tell. I’m sure you won’t be saying this because you are a true gentlemen, but I bet you were a little disappointed with the wines served in this table. Apart from Krug and Petrus (which you ordered it), they only served “big hitters”, “blockbusters”. Good wines, sure, but I not even close a lot of other gems you find in other wines list. Il Poggio and Iggay it’s not something I would expect from this level..
Cheers! Your channel is the best thing nowadays in world of gastronomy!
Alexander,
Phenomenal video, literally cannot say enough about you!
Would love to work together in the future, I KNOW success is in our future!
Best,
Chris 🎉
I love your channel. With this 15k dinner I would have loved to hear more about the wines. You could have done a much longer video. Or broken it up. I would really enjoy more details. Go to the Krug vineyard. Something more. We're here to watch it. I'd love to see more in depth for the amount of $$$ you spend.
This is a 3 Michelin crowd pleaser style. You get recognizable but obviously elevated and gorgeous proteins and mostly foods you have heard of before. Top notch just a bit less avante garde. More often than not this would be more my personal preference than the most eclectic iterations of Michelin tasting menus (especially with a party of 4) but both are enchanting experiences in their own right.
thank you for sharing your insight and experience.
Love watching these revieuws of very high end restaurants while taking a poop!
ima be honest, im eating a 8 hour beef stew while watching this. ill take this stew over that 15k table
Did anyone else catch the £1 donation to a homeless charity on the bill? Surely an establishment able to charge £15,000 a table could work out an agreement and add more onto each bill? It's not like they would lose any business given how wealthy the customers must be. Just feels a bit wrong to me...
They don't care at all
These are not people prone to remembering humanity and or where they came from. They do this for taxes not for helping people.
1 pound to charity, but happy to charge a 15% (2148 pounds) service charge. Lovely.
@@jeohist Any restaurants charging you to pay their staff should be left well enough alone.
@@Johnnystammy Lol, nearly￡2400 of taxes. Hope that VAT goes directly to supporting young restauranteurs trying to open up their first UK locations. Somehow, I doubt that.
Hi AtG, in the end you described, what you look for in a dish. Wouldnt Tim Raue in Berlin be something that should meet your interest? Keep it up !
Great channel, it's as if I'm paying none at all for a dining experience, hehe
Anyone surprised to hear him say he worked as an Au Pair?!?! Definitely something I didn’t see coming…
Going to start re-training myself now so I can afford fancy meals myself!!
1986 spanish what? 😂 Great video, happy i found this channel!
Just got myself some nuggets, ready to watch this
My favourite restaurant to go , been going regularly since it opened but never done the sommeliers table!
You then need to reward yourself with that experience too! 🍷
Great video. I would love for you to go to St John in Smithfields to try out the re-release of their original menu from 1994
Watching this while eating my instant noodles at my very private table 😎
Just eating some baked beans covered in cheese with a little pepper, very nice 😊
Watching this while drinking grocery store hard apple cider out of a bottle and lo mein noodles out of the carton from my Chinese takeout😂
I am dying to know if the room smelled like cedar due to the boxes of wine. For 16k (USA dollars) I would of preferred to sit in the snotty leather cushioned rooms, but that's just me. I understand the experience tho and the plating of the foods coming out (besides the food itself) is beyond beautiful!
BTW, Coburg is a town in Germany which famously was spared in ww2 because of British royal relations with the local royalty… I live in Coburg lol. I had a pretty surprised face as you told about the history of the hotel and its name
The video was pearfect 😂 Egészsègedre Sándor
FANTASTIC! Thank You.
I'd have to be drunk in order for those prices to make any sense to me at all, lol
no, just rich enough .
@@richardbartlett6932 nah, I'd need to be drunk and on acid too. It's ridiculous.
You would be drunk after a glass of wine for each dish and 3 liters of champagne on top
Dear Spain, Chuleton that melts in your mouth with bottle of Ramon Bilbao for €50 and Mirko, Marco, Giuseppe and all that pigeon crumbs can kiss the dark side of the moon
Could you tell us who made the suit you wore at the restaurant???
It's fantastic.