Le Gavroche

Le Gavroche has long been a restaurant on my radar of places to eat, anyone who is reading this page will doubtless be aware of its great heritage and reputation.

So when an old friend and fellow gastronome flew in from Finland , an opportunity arose for that first visit. There was no particular occasion other than a love of great food (and slimming wallets). My friend has a little professional interest as he's training to be a Sommelier. Our table was booked for 7pm on a Tuesday night. As we neared the restaurant I was actually getting quite nervous : I had already spent the morning hunting for a pair of trousers having realised I'd not packed anything other than blue denim and a cursory search of various reviews revealed that despite them being very nice designer jeans - this would not do.

Boy was I glad I'd made the effort and got those trousers, because I think I would have felt I'd let down the effort put in by the restaurant if I'd turned up ill attired. Entering Le Gavroche is like entering into a cosy hidden den of fine dining. We were led downstairs to the dining room, which I'm sure for some is old fashioned , but it has a classical charm : it's homely, warm and comforting - yet oozes with class. From here on in, it felt like we were now on a gastronomique adventure par excellence. The front of house staff were marvelous and what followed can only be described as an almost balletic like performance. Cutlery arrived, wine was poured, chairs promptly pushed in, napkins folded, food unveiled - it was the very essence of attentive without being intrusive... everyone was polite and friendly.

As for the food ? It is almost a week since eating there and I can still remember every dish and every detail - which is unusual for me, having a brain like a sieve. We already knew that we were going for the Menu Exceptionnel with the accompanying wine (£150 with wine, £95 without). In the first instance the included wine saved us from picking from the tome like wine list - I think there is something like 2000 wines on it - where they're stored I don't know - I suspect an underground nuclear bunker must be below the restaurant itself. The wines were explained and poured by the Sommelier, a very polite and quietly spoken chap he was, and they did not skimp on the wine either. When the first glass was poured it wasn't exactly a lot of wine, but faced with another eight courses it didn't bother me. Of course when they started giving you a top-up here and there, I soon realised that the wine and food were in full-flow. I think generous is a very good word to describe our night - nothing was too much and I felt we were treated like Kings for the evening.

As for the marks: I've looked down the various reviews on this page many times and apart from the odd apparent bad day or lofty expectations , there's a lot of tens across the board - it almost seems like a cliché, but I can't think of anything out of place or that could have been better, so it's all tens for me too.

All-in-all this was probably one of the finest food experiences I've had. The food is exceptional, the service and atmosphere are refined and classy. I simply cannot wait to return here (I would go tomorrow if I could) and have high hopes of a return visit with the better half (she promises she won't ask for the ketchup) as soon as is humanly possible.

Be warned it's an addictive experience.
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grobelaar - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The £48 lunch is a super deal. Between all of us, we had just about everything that was on offer, and it was all pretty much perfect. Crackling on the pork was something special. It was a fair size group splitting the bill which can be confusing, but the servers were very accomodating with this and everything thing else. What a treat.
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Dan - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, May 01, 2009

Had lunch at this lovely venue. couldn t ask for more. everything from food to service was fautless

excellent value for lunch. excellent service. would go back soon.
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Crackage
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 23, 2009

We arrived on time and were quickley shown to our seats. Much plusher than Gordon's but we prefered it.

Before we had looked at a menu we were brought two samplers. Little goats cheese tarts ans two quiches. Delightful!

This was quickley followed by fried turbot and a little crisped potato. Fish and chips said the waiter. Delicious. And we hadn't even ordered.

We both had the Brown shrimps, wild mushrooms in hollandaise sause au gratin. Good portions and very tasty. We then had the Guinea fowl which was sensational.

Cheese board and a meille feuiles. Enough for both of us. Great cheese board.

Two half bottles of wine, a bottle of water each, coffee, petite fours and service charge all included in the set lunch price.

This is exceptional value and the service is to match.

This is still the best restaurant in town and far better value than the rest.

Go and give your wife a treat.
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Paul Reid
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 27, 2009

February 2009 - I went to Le Gavroche for a recognition dinner with my team and I was shocked by the experienced! First, as we came in, the bar was very smelly. Then, as we ordered some champagne, they brought us some 'petits fours' which were so strong in taste they were hiding the taste of the champagne. We then selected the tasting menu at £150 a head with a selection of their best dishes and assorted wines, so we expected something quite descent as you can imagine. One of my team members does not eat meat and so agreed with the waitress to have all meat dishes replaced by fish, which they did. Except that when we ate foie gras and drank Bagnuls, a rich sweet red wine, they served her sea bass, and to drink Bagnuls as well!!!

The rest of the dinner was served on a watch, with maybe a couple of minutes in between each course, so we did not even get a chance to talk to each other or even appreciate the food. Overall there were no elegant tastes, nothing different I had never tasted before, the wines weren't exceptional apart from maybe one, the same sauce was served with nearly all dishes, and we came out extremely disappointed. I came out feeling more than disappointed as I ended up paying for an extremely expensive meal at a restaurant which had nothing to do with a 3 Michelin Star!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, March 09, 2009

I wont concentrate on the food in this review. Having visited around a dozen times in the last 10 years I can safely say this was the worst food offering I have experienced, but perhaps it was a bad night in the kitchen. The food was merely poor and would not have warranted a review in itself.

What was an absolute disgrace, however, was the front of house service. How the restaurant misses Silvano! The staff were generally scruffy and the service bordering on the amateur. In particular the response of the general manager Emmanuel Landre to our complaints regarding the newly created Halibut dish would have been extraordinary if we had been dining in Fawlty Towers itself. After trying to embarrass my wife in front of the entire restaurant we were then invited to leave, with the table theatrically pulled away from us and, with a supercilious smile from Emmanuel, our evening was finished. What a difference a change in the management can make. I don't think you need to be a business genius to conclude what happens if you treat customers this way. In a 2 star Michelin restaurant!

My advice to Michel Roux Jr? Change your manager quickly before he damages your reputation beyond repair. Believe me he will do it. What may be entertainment on the TV is totally inappropriate in real life. Emmanuel would do very well to remember that. Of course we would never return even if the meal was offered free. From being great ambassadors for the restaurant over the last decade we now find ourselves as disappointed critics. Le Gavroche now takes its place in the list of pompous, smug, over rated restaurants living on their memories. I also apologize to all my friends to whom I have recommended Le Gavroche so enthusiastically over the years. Time has moved on and its time to find a new favourite. How very sad.
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Nick S
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, March 01, 2009

My boyfriend and I went for a special birthday meal. I have to say I loved it. We had the taster menu with matching wines - there was far too much food, but I guess you can't really complain about that! Don't eat for the two previous days and you might be ok!!

The bar upstairs is in desperate need of a makeover, but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't deliberately erm, homely. The atmosphere in the restaurant is great. there is a real buzz.

Staff were charming and not snooty. Best meal out in London that I have ever had all in all. It's like stepping back in time. In this day and age for the chef to actually come around to each table and say hello to each diner rather than being permanently on TV or re-branding themselves was a breath of fresh air.

It's expensive - our bill was £350 - but well worth saving up for. Just fantatic & VERY romantic.
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RC - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 16, 2009

I was taken to this restaurant for the Valentine's day and the whole experience was just amazing. Not only the food was mouth-watering with a very good choice of dishes, which were perfectly cooked, but the service itself was great as well.

In addition to everything, at the end of the night every woman was give a beautiful rose.The chef came out of the kitchen and approached every table to see how the food was and give his signed complimentary cookbook away.
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Katerina
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, February 15, 2009

Quite simply Le Gavroche is a London food experience not to be missed. We had the Menu exceptionelle and exceptionelle it was. I won't bore you with all the dishes that we had as I am sure you are quite capable of reading the menu.

However, this is French food at it's very best - and I am comparing this to most of the Michelin star restaurants in London. Some of the flavours and combinations were truly outstanding. As to be expected with a 'tasting' menu not every dish will hit your personal food g-spot - but some dishes will blow you away.

A couple of months later we still talk about some of the dishes - the lobster with mango was a great combination and, as you would expect, the marvellous selection of cheeses and the very reasonably priced wines were at the most perfect of perfect temperatures.

The pricer may be considered high - but to be honest who cares when quality is this good. Service great, ambience great, food great, overall experience great.

To show that I am not a Le Gavroche acolyte I do have one small niggle - in common with Galvin and L'escargot, on the day we visited the dining room was adorned with very attractive fresh lilies - I am sure the staff have become conditioned to the strong perfume these flowers give off but I for one find the scent is overwhelming!
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Steve Forey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, February 08, 2009

Lunched at Le Gavroche today (our 41st wedding anniversary) and had an exemplary meal. The service is not intrusive - it's buzzing, with all the serving staff darting about like swallows, as my wife put it. We had the set £48 lunch menu, which is really excellent value, including half bottles of wine and water per person. One misses the presence of the legendary Silvano as maitre d', but as usual Michel Roux Jr. casually walked around to chat with the diners - and not in a self-important fashion but genuinely interested in what people had to say. And also to show, no doubt, that he really is working in the kichen rather than merely lending his name to the enterprise.

I mentioned the absence of Silvano, but must remark upon the exceptionally capable flame-haired identical withy-slim French female twins who handled much of the detail of the dining room. The service was not totally impeccable - at one point we dared to try and fill our empty glasses in the absence of the sommelier, at which one of the twins pounced from across the room and did the honours. No refilling problems after that...

The food was as excellent as one would expect - I'm not going to go into details, only to recommend that any readers try it themselves. Maybe if you go for the a la carte you will have exalted expectations which would be hard to meet, but the set lunch menu is excellent value. If we had not indulged in two glasses of superb Sauternes (Chateau Les Justices) at £13 each with the dessert it would have been about £120 for two including pre-lunch drinks and service at 12.5%. Now that the pound is approaching parity with the euro, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a 2-star restaurant in France offering anything like similar quality and value.
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johnmorr - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 16, 2008