Club Gascon

I can't believe the previous reviews moaning about the portions and price!

If you know anything about cuisine you will know that food this rich is to be enjoyed in small quantities.

The taster menu left me absolutely filled to the brim, the accompanying drinks well selected.

I can safely say you will not find more scrumptious food if you looked for years.
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Kizzi - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 7
Sunday, April 16, 2006

I went there because i know the comptoir gascon and love their food, so i hoped the restaurant would be as good. It was just too heavy. Too fat, too thick, impossible to digest, a total lack of balance in the dishes and quite a flat taste. Could not even finish my eel and cauliflower soup... I was totally disappointed, sadly.
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pierre
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Being sat next to the door on a cold February night made this a very uncomfortable dining experience.

This restaurant is very overpriced, particularly the wine. My guess is that the average mark-up is around 1000%. No Sommelier on duty to advise and ended up with overly oaked micro-oxygenated crap. (Why put such rubbish wines on a menu especially at +£50 a bottle?)

Food was ok.
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Fat Goose - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

we went for my birthday and I thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant. We had the tasting menu which was all delicious - it has quite a bit of meat /offal in it , so perhaps not for everyone. We had one menu with accompanying wines which we shared -they were superb and quite enough for two. The service was friendly and discreet and everyone seemed to be enjoying their food. I look forward to going back very soon. The evening was very good value for money for those standards.
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susan
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Fantastic food. Definitely one of the best restaurants in London. I can only recommend it. The staff is polite and knowledgeable on the dishes. The portions the size they should be ... and the food divine.

Not recommended for junk food lovers that's for sure!
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SB
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

This restaurant seems to have rather mixed reviews, which I can understand. On the negative side, the service felt rather too serious for my liking although by no means bad. The portions are ridiculously small - do not go here if you have a healthy appetite to satisfy or expect value for money. Our final bill (for 2) came to about £150 and in terms of actual quantity of food it was certainly very expensive. To give you an idea, my wife received just one langostine in her starter and two scallops in her main. The sides are also expensive and small.

However, on the plus side, my wife and I did enjoy our meals and recognise the chef is aiming for quality rather than quantity (a little more of the main element of the dish would not go amiss however). The wine list is composed entirely of wines from SW France which seemed very restrictive but I was very pleased with the choice of wine recommended to us by the sommelier, and in contrast to the food, seemed to be good value for money (I'm talking by London restaurant standards obviously!).

If you're a foody give it a try. If you expect some food with your meal then best avoided.
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Howie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, February 27, 2006

Spectacular cooking on a par with Gordon Ramsey (Hospital Road). Some really imaginative combinations perfectly executed. Because of the tapas style menu you are aware of the cost of each dish and on their own do appear very high (£20 for 2 very small lamb ribs). However when you add it up it comes to £50 - £60 per head for the food only which is comparable with Ramsey , Aitken etc. and in that context it is not ridiculously overpriced...One observation would be that the service and overall ambiance, although fine, do not really match the price. When spending £80-£90 per head you want the whole experience to be out of the ordinary and the venue and service is not.
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Ed - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

My wife and I visited Club Gascon last night for her birthday.

We had a hugely enjoyable time: delicious, interesting dishes; professional, attentive service and pleasant ambience.

The waiting staff are young, but perfectly professional and knowledgable. We were made to feel welcome and at home.

The food is Southern French: so expect very rich dishes in (thankfully) smallish quantities. Textures and flavours combine in unusual ways to create interest and pleasure in the way that you would expect of a michelin-starred restaurant. Foie Gras is a speciality and is normally taken as a second course, before the main.

Prices are as you would expect for this level: if you try the full range of dishes (leaving you VERY replete indeed) and a few different wines expect to pay around £100 per head.

I started with a langoustine in a chestnut puree: sumptuous. My parter had woodpigeon arranged with fruits.

The Foie Gras course simply superb. My generous portion of warm foie gras was hiding under caramelised turnips with a sharp reduction on the side to offset the melt-in-your-mouth richness. My partner's came cold, with crab meat folded in and crab claws along side. This was served with a piquant tomato and red pepper pipperade: again beautiful.

A gorgeous Sauternes was served by the glass alongside the Foie Gras.

A long pause followed before the main. We didn't mind because we were not in a rush and were happy to the let the previous courses settle a little. A peppery, peanut icecream cleared the palette before mains came.

Main courses were equally fantastic. The veg dishes alongside were given the same care and attention. These were dishes that had all different taste buds working at once. The potato and truffle puree was the simply the best truffle dish I have ever had.

Finishing up I had a Rosemary Icecream on a poached pear and apple sauce (or sorbet?). This was wonderfully delicate, contrasting with the richness of all that had gone before. My partner had a Rocquefort tart on apple base (I think). This was reported as nice, but not as interesting and thoughtful as everything else we had.

The wine list is fantastic. The house Champagne is Roederer. There was a wide range of quality half bottles, which suited us, and when asked for a recommendation I was given a stunning Madiran, served by the glass: rich, velvety. deep. The wine mark-up (over off-licence price) is approximately 100% - which is standard.

The dining room is quite small - perhaps 15 tables of various sizes. The atmosphere is 'posh bistro' rather then 'deeply romantic'. Don't expect to cuddle up with your loved one.

When I go back I would be tempted to skip one of the courses as the intensity and richness of the food became a bit much in the end. This place is not for those on a diet.

Overall, a triumph.
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Colman Stephenson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Even though I ate there as a guest, this is an over-priced, over-hyped place for foodies. Portions and variety are absurd,as are the prices but its success suggests there are folks prepared to pay..Still, it was worth it alone for the look of abject disbelief on the face of another diner from the US..I beleive he went for a burger afterwards...rightly so.
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Nick E
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, February 01, 2006

I had my 30th there and the meal was excellent. I thought the whole experience was excellent and the food was outstanding (we had the gourmand menu with wines). I went to 345 Hospital Road, Tom Aitken's and Gary Rhodes on business in a two month period and it was the only one I thought was worth the prices charged.. Go there, if you like great food you will love it!
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Tom
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 31, 2006