Galvin La Chapelle

Classic Taste of Galvin

Parfait of Goosnagh duck liver,
Armagnac jelly and toasted sour dough

Galvin La Chapelle has always been a pretty solid choice when you are after some top quality traditional French cusine in The City, the 1 Michelin starred restaurant by the Galvin brothers offers some very accessible cooking at any price level, ranging from £29 for a 3 course dinner set menu leading up to £70 for its 7 course tasting menu. To celebrate its 10 year birthday, Galvin La Chapelle has come up with the "Classic Taste of Galvin Menu", a 5 course menu which covers some of its most popular classic dishes and costs only £29 per person as a birthday treat from the restaurant.

Lasagne of Dorset crab, beurre nantaise

Pot roast suprême of Landes corn fed chicken,
risotto of girolles & soft herbs

Parfait of Goosnagh duck liver is a fine example of what a good plate of liver should be, very savoury but not overwhelming with its earthiness and with that Armagnac jelly added a touch of sharpness to distort the bitterness. The best of the night by far was the lasagne of Dorset crab in a beurre nantaise dressing, smooth and creamy with a lovely settled sweetness from the crab meat. Pot roast suprême of Landes corn fed chicken was perhaps the weakest dish on the night, seasoning was perfect as was the risotto of girolles, but the meat wasn't as moist or tender as I was hoping for which was a real shame. The good old Apple tarte tatin with Normandy crème fraîche was as good as my visit from the first time, that crunchy, buttery sweetness was such a joy and a lovely way to finish off the evening.

Fourme d’Ambert, grape chutney & walnuts

Apple tarte Tatin, Normandy crème fraîche

Yet another very enjoyable evening at Galvin La Chapelle, great food with smart and lovely services to match, at £29 for a 5 course meal at such a high quality level of cooking was such a total steal and perhaps bargain of the year. What I really like about Galvin is its no nonsense approach in its classic French cooking, keeping it humble but with great levels of detail and using fine ingredients which is not something that is too common in London and especially in The City as there are far too many restaurants focusing too much on the concept or the presentation and sometimes forgetting about the most important element, which is the taste.

Food 3.5/5

Executive chef: 
Jeff Galvin

What I paid: 
£55 pp with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
Lunch menu: £29
Tasting menu: £70

35 Spital Square, London, E1 6DY

http://www.galvinrestaurants.com