Crimson and Ruby
Gouqi has two interconnecting private dining rooms, Crimson and Ruby, at 25–34 Cockspur Street in St James's. Crimson seats 12 guests and Ruby seats 10. Together they seat 22. For a standing reception each room holds about 15 guests, or about 40 combined. Crimson has a 65-inch 4K television. The rooms are a short walk from Trafalgar Square.
Birthdays, family tables and corporate dinners
The rooms are used for birthday parties, anniversaries and family celebrations, and for business meetings and corporate dinners. A seated party of 10 to 22 can dine behind closed doors. A standing reception is the format when the guest list is closer to 40 and the meal is canapés or bowl food rather than a full sitting.
The main dining room remains the right table for a smaller booking. Private dining starts to make sense when the group wants one menu, one arrival time and a room of its own, which is the usual shape of a milestone birthday or a client dinner.
Menus for a seated room
For a seated party the restaurant recommends one of three menus. The eight-course tasting menu, with an optional wine pairing, is the long sequence. The three-course Signature Sharing Menu is the middle path. A set menu based on the à la carte lets the host steer the meal toward particular dishes, including the Peking duck with Oscietra caviar when it has been pre-ordered.
The tasting menu's courses run from yellowfin tuna tartare and a foie gras rice crisp through a dim sum trio, golden soup, chargrilled silver cod, osmanthus A5 wagyu, Emperor's Gold wonton noodles and an osmanthus mousse. Hosts who want the room to share several dishes, rather than eat in lockstep, usually take the Signature Sharing Menu or an à la carte set.
Standing receptions
A standing event can start with a drinks reception. The food is canapés or bowl food drawn from the kitchen's existing dishes: dim sum, Peking duck, salt and pepper squid and black pepper beef. It is the same cooking as the dining room, plated for guests who are standing and moving between Crimson and Ruby.
Deposits, notice and how to enquire
A deposit of 50% of the minimum spend is taken by a secure payment link. Cancellation notice is 72 hours to one week, depending on the date. For a larger group, food and wine should be pre-ordered at least three working days ahead, and allergies or dietary requirements need to be on that order.
Enquire on the private dining page, by email, or by phone. Include the date, the arrival time, the number of guests, whether the room is seated or standing, and which menu you want. Crimson is the room with the television if a presentation is part of the dinner. The rooms connect, so a party of 22 uses both rather than a third space. The reservation page is for a table in the dining room.
Reserve on the reservation page, call 0203 771 8886, or email reservations@gouqi-restaurants.co.uk.