Le Gavroche

My wife and I went for dinner on Wednesday 16th January and had the most wonderful time. Great service, great atmosphere and great food. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.
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Peter Eldrett
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, January 21, 2013

Took my wife for a meal, we had the tasting menu. The food and service were both excellent. The intimate atmosphere of the bar and restaurant are terrific.
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Joseph Holmes
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, September 27, 2012

Went for my wife's birthday, the restaurant is intimate and has a nice small bar upstairs.

We opted for the tasting menu without the wine and I thought that the food was good but not as good as other starred restaurants that I have eaten in London, I would have expected more from a 2 star restaurant. Although pretty much all of the dishes were well cooked, you could tell all ingredients were of a high quality although the partridge was a bit chewy and I thought overcooked. A couple of the dishes I felt a little tasteless.

Service was brilliant always very accomadating and they took into account an allergy I had and amended my menu, they kept glasses of water and wine topped up all night and were smiley and were not rude at all.

Michel came out an introduced himself to all the tables and took the time out to sign the tasting menu to my wife for her birthday which made her night.

All in was happy although the food was not as good as expected but the service was great and a nice restaurant.
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Wes
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 10, 2012

We took a friend here for lunch and had the business lunch 3 courses + half a bottle of wine for £50 per head. Considering one gets 3 michelin courses and wonderful wine for that amount, it really is a good deal however I have eaten here before and had the full tasting menu (the height of french cuisine!) and nothing really compares to that so if you can afford it then take that option!

The service was excellent, efficient and faultless. I was even escorted to the toilets when I asked where they were!

I had oxtail with pea risotto - sadly it looked like it had been thrown on the plate slapdash - and the rice was extremely undercooked (not just al dente but very tacky in the middle). The flavours however were perfect and I was hungry so I ate it anyway.

The cheese board was fantastic with so many choices and the rice pudding dessert was the perfect sweetness and came served in what looked like a small fish bowl.

I would definitely go again but more than likely have the full tasting menu instead of the business lunch.
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Abbie
9 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 15, 2011

Visited the restaurant for the first time on Friday evening, 1st April along with my husband and 2 friends.

First class attention to detail, had the taster menu which was complimented by a fine selection of wines.

The waiting staff were superb and nothing was too much trouble. Well done!
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Annette Francis
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 04, 2011

I was taken to Le Gavroche in March for my birthday. The atmosphere in the restaurant was cosy and warm with a candle on each table and low lighting. Service was attentive yet unobtrusive and most of the staff were kind, polite and helpful with the exception of one of the someliers who's attitude was very abrupt and rude. We wanted some champagne when we arrived and she reeled off a huge long list of the champagnes on offer without any explanation RE prices or differences in taste. If she smiled at all throughout the night then I missed it. However, once we had chosen to have the Menu Exceptionnel with matching wines we were then served by a different sommelier who was knowledgable, helpful and talkative.

Most of the food stood up to the high expectations I had. The signature dish of Souffle Suissesse (Cheese Souffle cooked on double cream) was as light, rich and unctuous as I had imagined and I dread to think the number of calories per portion but well worth it!. The second course, we all agreed, was the most disappointing - Lobster salad with marie-rose flavoured with brandy and truffles. The small amount of lobster that I had in my glass dish was quite chewy and did not seem to have much flavour. The sauce also lacked flavour as did the lettuce underneath (the majority of the dish). Overall it did not have the same wow factor as the other dishes and I felt I could have made a better cocktail at home.

The scallop and calamari with squid ink tapioca and the Gurnard with basque ham were both real highlights of the evening in both flavour and presentation.

Lamb had a stunning flavour and was cooked to perfection as were the veg and potatoes but the lamb had gone cold by the time it had been carved by the waiting staff at the table. However, the flavour in the sauce made up for this.

Cheese board had a huge selection with every one labelled and the waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable when making a selection (4 cheeses). The homemade walnut toast and quince jelly that were served along side complimented the cheese perfectly.

Finally the dessert, a rich chocolate truffle on puffed rice cake (or rice Krispies!) with rum jelly and chocolate sorbet. Being a chocolate lover I loved it but one of my party was not and asked one of the staff if she would be able to order something different.The waiter simply smiled and said "leave it with me" and returned with a trio of apple desserts including miniature toffee apple and apple tart. They also gave her a different wine to match her dessert.

What made the evening for me was when Michel Roux came out during service to talk to all the tables. He was very kind and charming and signed a menu for me and had a picture with us at the table. Then when the desserts came out mine had a candle in it and happy birthday written in chocolate on the plate.

The wines were generally well picked and complimented each course beautifully. The highlights for me were the white that accompanied the Gurnard and the almost Marsala like red that accompanied the chocolate so beautifully.

Overall, some of the food was not perfect but still a must go for any foodie just to experience the flavour combinations, especially when matched with the wines. The service may seem intimidating at first but after a few minutes you learn to relax and by the last course you hardly notice when the waiter places down the last set of cutlery or tops up your water glass.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, March 19, 2011

I visited La Gavroche for dinner in November with my wife and my son who works in my kitchen, and i have to say that the experience far exceeded our expectations. Yes it is expensive, but people who moan about prices when they know before hand its not going to be a cheap night out annoy me. The meal was nothing short of exceptional, coupled with a superb sommelier who was very realistic in the wines he suggested for us made it an evening that i will never forget. The night was finished off by two visits to our table from Michel Roux Jnr and a signed menu for my son, who couldn't quite believe he found the time to talk about cooking with him. I certainly can't wait to return.
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Peter Hardy
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The best Michelin star food I have ever eaten. Recently came back fron The Waterside Inn Bray, which was extremely disappointing. Don't know how they have acquired 3 stars.But Le Gavroche ticks all the boxes, ambience, food and service are all impeccable. The food is just heaven and each course blows you away. Can't wait to return on Saturday.
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SABRINA PHILLIPS
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 09, 2010

Fantastic food, fantastic service, fantastic atmosphere. The special priced lunch is the best value ever. We went with friends and all of us were delighted with everything we had. Can't wait to go again.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

It's a very beautiful restaurant, welcoming and surprisingly cosy. The wine and champagne were great and the staff excellent. I'm afraid to say my reservation is about the food. I am French and I'm disappointed by the lack of creativity and how it's not really influenced by all the exciting flavours that you can taste at the moment in restaurants like Texture or Arbutus. The food was old fashioned but not in a nostalgic way for me. For example,I ordered beef &. the meat was great but it was accompanied by irrelevant spinach and crisp- like potatoes. The foie gras on top of the meat was thick and unappetising. My friend ordered cod and it was far too salty . The tarte tatin was quite traditional but unispired. I have tasted better in any Parisian bistrot. My cheese tray was impressive to look at but didn't taste that great. It's a nice environment but there's too many other enticing restaurants in London to make a return visit.
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Nathalie
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, October 10, 2010