Gordon Ramsay is as famous for his temper as for his fabulous culinary creations but that has not stood in the way of a meteoric rise. It kicked off with the arrival of a long-awaited third Michelin star at his eponymous restaurant in Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, making Ramsay the only three-starred chef in London, and one of only two in Britain.

Soon after that, it was announced that an elegant new restaurant would open at Claridge's. Would it be awarded to Nico Ladenis? To Alain Ducasse, the acclaimed French chef? No... to Gordon Ramsay.

In March 2001 he took over the prestigious one-starred dining room at Glasgow's One Devonshire Gardens hotel. His next move towards world domination was to take over the kitchens at the very 21st century Dubai Creek Hotel in December of the same year.

Although he seems to have a finger in every pie, it's Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's that has him all fired-up. He can't stop talking about it. 'It's glamorous, it's luxurious, it's sumptuous,' he says. 'It's the best address in London.'

The beautiful art-deco elements of the dining room have been retained in the lavish redesign by French-born New York architect Thierry Despont, but the overall effect is softly, luxuriously modern. And the food? That, too, has evolved. Armed with a brigade of 30 staff, a state-of-the-art kitchen and positional cameras in the dining room and kitchen, Ramsay is ready to start shooting for more stars.

Anyone who has tasted his intricate, masterful mosaic of chicken, pheasant, partridge and venison; his legendary white bean cappuccino with truffles or the chic seabass in basil leaves with caviar sauce, will know that his ambition to become the first British chef ever to win six Michelin stars is not beyond him.

'If there is a perfect scenario, then I have it,' he grins. 'I have been given the ultimate stage.'

So the hottest seats of the restaurant are sure to be at the 'chef's table', a leather banquette-lined table for eight perched on a raised plinth directly above the pass, where the fiery chef stands to co-ordinate the smooth pacing and perfect presentation of his dishes.

Will he be toning down the language for the ears of his honoured guests? 'Oh, yes,' he says sweetly, an evil glint in his eye. 'Do please pass the spinach, there's a good chap, or the seabass will get cold.' It seems that even Gordon Ramsay can't work within the four walls of such an elegant, graceful hotel as Claridge's without it having some effect.