Galvin La Chapelle

Went to Galvin La Chapelle on what seemed to be one of the busiest nights of the year (NYE eve). The building is just spectacular and the lighting really sets it off. You know you are about to have something special when a gentleman wearing a bowler hat welcomes you in.

I'm no food expert but I do appreciate taste and texture with what I eat. I found the food lovely and well cooked. There was a nice selection of meat dishes to choose from (no comment on the veg selection) and although not my favorite course, the desserts were also very good.

I've read books shorter than the wine selection and the sommelier was very knowledgeable. So no problems there.

If I had two things to point out (note not complaining here) was that the service was very quick - the courses were swift to arrive to say the least, and the premium is high.

For a nice romantic meal (not first date I would say) and you were feeling a bit flush (was £75 per head with 1 bottle of wine and 3 courses) then this place is brilliant. Would I come back again - yes I would.
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H Chan
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 31, 2010

Fantastic. Four of us ate here last night and it was the best restaurant experience I've had bar none, save for Murano.

It's all been said about the room (the word room doesn't do it justice - this place calls for the use of the poncey, overused, artisty word "space"). It's fabulous. Tops the Wolseley for grandeur and style by a mile. It's ideal - how you might imagine or dream that a restaurant ought to be.

Service was smiling, competent and effective. Waiting staff were plentiful. They were not stiff and formal, rather helpful and willing. They also looked great in their classic black and white uniforms (which were not the usual polyester monstrosities). Very professional. Whoever hired this bunch knew what they were doing.

The menu is just as I would wish a menu to be. Classy selection of dishes and ingredients. For a relatively compact menu (maybe 9 starters and a 10 main courses) there is great variety packed in. The cooking is excellent.The crab lasagne is superb: flavour jammed and light as a souffle. For my main course I had the special of grouse, which they warned me was very gamey. It was not overly so. Best cooked game bird I've eaten. No dryness or bitterness at all. Cheese trolley was knowledgeably served. First class food.

The wine list is long and deep, with lots of choice £40+, and enough below that to satisfy. We stuck to the shallower end. An ok Galvin labelled house champagne - a bit of a lightweight effort that lacked punch. A reasonably priced, tart Petit Chablis (£28). A decent Italian Dolcetta (red) for about £34. And then a nice pinot noir- not sure where that was from...I was a bit squiff by then (there were only four of us).

Expensive but good value. Three courses from the al la carte, champagne / a bottle of wine and a cocktail each (!) it was just over £100 a head. Well worth it for a big time blow out.

This place is a bit like the Wolesley, but with proper grown up food and wine - and no gawping tourists. For impact, finesse, and quality of delivery it knocks GR at Claridges into a cocked hat.

No question that for style and fabulosity this is THE place in London at the moment. If they keep the standards this high it will be a very tough act to beat.
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Kwev
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 28, 2010

Excellent restaurant. Everything was perfect. Service was perfect. 10 out of 10 ... Impressed by such quality !!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Had a brilliant Sunday lunch at La chapelle really friendly staff & very accomplished food.I had the wood roasted Cornish lamb,and my partner opted for the Grousse.

From the moment you enter the door this place is sheer class & I can not recommend it enough.
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Woody
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, September 14, 2010

We went for the "family-friendly" lunch on a Bank Holiday Sunday. We had a great time - the staff were fantastic, the sommelier knowledgeable, the food and location are great.

More importantly, the two year old loved it all - the toys on a table by the door ready for use, the relaxed and welcoming attitude of the staff, and the 'off-menu" dish prepared especially for her. This was the first time that we have ever been in a London Restuarant where children are truly welcome. We will most definitely be back.

Ignore the dodgy reviews and carping on this site and elsewhere. You will enjoy it
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Richard Poole
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Food was very disappointing.

Courses ranged from nice to unpleasant. We had the Rhone set menu. Starter of soup and Lyonnaise salad were both nice but nothing special. The beef rib was a tiny portion of meat with mainly fat and bone making up the bulk of the dish, it was terrible. Dessert of peaches and lavender icecream was an off flavour combination. Another dessert was 3 slices of goats cheese and bread - nice but uneventful.

The service was prompt. The setting is a beautiful converted building.

Overall food not good and not good value for money. There are many better restaurants in the area.
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5 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Having read some good reviews about La Chapelle (Greg Wallace's 40/40 in Olive magazine in particular), I have to say that I was quite disappointed by my visit on Saturday night.

The building is amazing, and, along with the decor, really gives the place a wow factor when you enter. Unfortunately it's from there that things start to go downhill.

Firstly, I really love restaurants using seasonal products, but there was far too much repetition between ingredients used in the starters and the mains. For instance, for vegetarians the main ingredient for both was asparagus. I think this is pretty lazy on the chef's part. Also there was red snapper, lamb and duck on both courses, which was quite limiting.

Secondly the service was too quick. There was a really short space between ordering and receiving our starter, which meant that the bread had only just been served to us when it arrived. The plates were then taken away the second that we finished and the mains arrived shortly after. I know that some people deem this to be good service, but it just didn't help to make it a very relaxing meal.

Lastly, and most importantly, the food just wasn't up to much. It wasn't terrible; it was just nothing to write home about. My starter of asparagus with summer truffle vinaigrette was ok, if a little too creamy, although my partner's tuna looked lovely. My red snapper for main was fine but the fennel was too hard to cut with my fish knife so I couldn't eat it, and there was a layer of potato underneath that was really greasy and tasteless. My partner had duck but the sauce with it was very, very rich. Desserts were well presented.

Ironically our dessert plates weren't whisked away, so we were never offered coffee. We settled on just asking for the bill after waiting 20 minutes for anyone to come over.

I think, for a similar price, Chez Bruce and The River Cafe are far better.
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ciscomonkey
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Monday, June 07, 2010