Coutts Woman

Cuisine with a distinctly female flavour

Gary Rhodes has been getting inside the minds of women for his latest venture – a French fine-dining restaurant aimed specifically at women.  And, as Coutts Woman finds, he’s doing a mighty fine job of it. 

Gary Rhodes is going to be fashionably late with his latest venture, RW1.  Originally intended to open in mid-April, Rhodes has now confirmed that the new ‘restaurant’ (“I don’t like the expression ‘fine dining’”) will open in mid-May.  The reason?  Getting the décor and ambience right.  “I’ve waited a long time for this restaurant and there’s no point rushing at the last minute,” he says. 

This new venture has caused somewhat of a stir in the press.  Much has been written about women and dining – the diets, the dining/networking clubs… but not so much on restaurants aimed specifically at women diners.  “More and more ladies are dining out at restaurants as couples and groups of friends.  Yet, in the main, I think that menus really are for males.  We don’t think hard enough for the lady,” says Rhodes.  So he has.

“I wanted to create a whole menu that suits the lady’s form of eating.  I want them to be ‘in control.”

RW1 will be based in the Cumberland hotel, alongside his other restaurant, Rhodes W1 brasserie.  But that’s where any similarity between them ends.  Firstly, RW1 serves French rather than British-inspired food.  Add to that the French décor developed by ‘inspirational’ British designer Kelly Hoppen, and it’s not exactly a Gary Rhodes establishment the British public have come to recognise.

“For most of my career, I’ve been featuring British cuisine with a French influence.  I decided to turn it around and show there’s a bit more to my repertoire.  So, when you come to this restaurant, you feel that you’re in Paris.  Though there are still British influences,” he insists.

The size of the dining area is another departure for Rhodes.  More accustomed to seating 80 guests, Rhodes has designed the space for just 45. “We wanted to create one of those small, private restaurants because you don’t see so many of those anymore.  Something quite intimate, that’s not too busy and not too loud.”

The biggest difference at RW1, however, is the menu and portion size.  Along with a normal a la carte menu which has three-course set prices, Rhodes has incorporated a ‘tasting menu’.  These are 10 to 12 smaller meals – a combination of those featured on the a la carte menu or dishes developed especially.

“I wanted to create a whole menu that suits the lady’s form of eating.  I want them to be ‘in control’.  Often, if you have a set menu with three or four courses at one price, this is too heavy for a lady.  After one or two courses, they’re thinking ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t eaten that much’,” he says.

Instead, Rhodes wants women to be able have as much or as little as they like.  He says: “I want ladies to come in and order two courses of small portions if they want to, and to be able to sit there thinking ‘Oh, I wish I had another one of those. Or ‘I wish I could have that all over again’.  And if they want, they can.  They are totally in control.”

Dessert is another action point.  “Dining with my wife Jenny and other friends, I notice restaurants will present a menu to you with only starters and main courses.  And, from my experience, I see too many women say ‘No, I can’t’ when it comes to dessert, but wishing they could.”  RW1 will feature their desserts on the a la cart menu so that diners can balance their meals as they want, he says.

Simple indeed.  And that’s the point.  Sceptics might query the point of smaller portions when women can decide to eat as little or as much of a regular-sized meal as they like.  But it’s the ease at which it can be done at RW1 where unique requests are the norm. 

Rhodes cites Victoria Beckham requesting some simple fish at one of his other restaurants earlier this year.  “We created it for her and she went away very happy because we didn’t try to over-feed her.  With RW1, I want ladies to feel they can come and eat light or have a couple of courses of lunch, a nice glass of something fabulous and maybe a coffee to finish.  Easy,” says Gary. 

And what of the men?  They are, of course, always welcome.  “Let’s face it.  Most of the time in these sorts of restaurants, a gentleman is entertaining a lady and wants to please her.  It can be the biggest headache trying to find somewhere to take your wife, girlfriend or daughter, whoever it happens to be.  What we have is an intimate restaurant to suit those needs also.”

Rhodes will be keeping a watchful eye over the restaurant for the next 12 months - from the number of days it opens (five at present) to the number of dishes it offers.  “I want to work on this because I really do believe in it.  I believe in offering something to suit all parties, some simple eating that’s going to please everyone.”