Galvin la Chapelle

Gastronomy in the city

The third restaurant by the legendary Galvin brothers, the single Michelin starred Galvin la Chapelle in Shoreditch is a beautiful French restaurant which used to be the former chapel of a school. When you walk in the first thing that will strike your mind is the elegant high ceiling with the open space decor which feels like as if you were stepping back to the past. This is my second visit, I had one of the best dinners in 2012 at La Chapelle back last September with Hine Cognac and Cuban cigars food pairing, so that is partly why I returned!

The front

The decor

This time we went for menu gourmand at £70, we started off with lasagne of Dorset crab, beurre Nantais & pea shoots. The lasagne was silky and smooth, lovely crab flavours with the beurre Nantais really linking up nicely with the light buttery taste. Pressed ham hock, corn fed chicken and foie gras is the first ever time I've see not just one, but two elements blended together with the foie gras, not overly strong and with the sweet red onion marmalade worked a little like Chinese ho sin sauce.

 lasagne of Dorset crab

pressed ham hock, corn fed chicken and foie gras

I was pleased to see smoked eel on the menu, a very under used fish with a very unique texture. The Alsace bacon was sweet and crispy, the hint of smoky notes worked well with the eel. The parsley and horseradish added an extra touch of peppery and earthy taste, overall a very well constructed dish. The Grilled lemon sole was top notch, the truffle sauces really opened up the softness of the fish. The Scottish mussels and baby leeks provided a contrast in texture but good harmony in terms of flavours.

smoked eel

grilled lemon sole

Highlight of the day: Tagine of Bresse pigeon with cous cous. This was a very interesting dish of a mixture of French and Moroccan flavours, the Bresse pigeon was absolutely fabulous, the meat was so moist and tender, confit lemon and harissa sauce added a lovely aroma of bitterness and spiciness on the cous cous.

Tagine of Bresse pigeon with cous cous

For the cheese course it was Fourme d’Ambert with pear chutney, surprisingly the blue cow cheese wasn't overly as strong as expected, a nice hint of fruitiness and the creamy texture worked great as a pre-dessert course. The apple tarte tatin with crème fraîche was nothing fancy but totally delivered in flavours, very soft with a light pastry which I really enjoyed along with the silky cream.

Fourme d’Ambert

apple tarte tatin

Yet another great dinner at Galvin la Chapelle, lovely modern French dishes without over the top presentation. It actually reminded me a bit from the dinner I had at Le Gavroche, bold and refined flavours in a very classy setting. Service was of a great fine dining standard, very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. If you are in search of top notch fine dining with stunning interior in the city this is the place to go, I can't think of a better place.

Menu gourmand:
Lasagne of Dorset crab, beurre Nantais & pea shoots
Pressed ham hock, corn fed chicken and foie gras, red onion marmalade
Warm smoked eel, caramelised pineapple, Alsace bacon, parsley & horseradish
Grilled lemon sole, Scottish mussels and baby leeks and truffled leek veloute
Tagine of Bresse pigeon, cous cous, confit lemon & harissa sauce
Fourme d’Ambert & pear chutney
Apple tarte Tatin, crème fraîche

Food 4/5

Executive chef: 
Jeff Galvin

What I paid: 
£93 per head with a glass of wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£29 lunch menu
£70 tasting menu


35 Spital Square, London E1 6DY 

www.galvinrestaurants.com