Le Gavroche

Good to be back

Artichoke filled with foie gras, truffles and chicken moose

Last time I dined at Le Gavroche, it was back in 2015. Out of the Michelin starred restaurants in London, I would say Le Gavroche is the only one that still has the proper old school French charm factor in its setting and cooking. Most high-profile restaurant these days are focusing on cutting edge cooking techniques and creative elements, but Le Gavroche kept its traditional French root, and produce some of the best tasting French food in London. After 5 years, a return was well overdue and I was very excited to be back. From the look of its tasting menu, not a great deal has changed, so I opted for the ALC menu instead.

Canapes of sea trout

Seared langoustine, shellfish pasta, and langoustine broth

Roasted T bone of wild turbot, cabbages, pork jowl, beer sauce

For starter, I had the Le Gavroche classic artichoke filled with foie gras, chicken moose and black truffle. It doesn't look like much from the outlook, but gosh it was sensational in taste. The smoothness of the chicken mousse was second to none, and the foie gras was creamy but not overly rich, all the elements worked in harmony and I had nothing but love for it. For main, I had the roasted T-bone turbot, it was perhaps the finest turbot dish I have ever come across with, it was seasoned and cooked to perfection, really moist and the beer sauce, along with the saltiness profile of the pork jowl, created a whirlwind pool of umami flavours, it was special. As for dessert, it was the passionfruit souffle, the taste was fabulous, it had a great balance of sweet and sour taste, but I felt it left in the kitchen for a while as it was not as hot as it could be.

Roasted pork T bone, mashed potato, mustard, and black cabbage

Selection of cheeses from the board

Passion fruit souffle and white chocolate ice cream

My third visit at Le Gavroche almost gave me a faultless meal, I enjoyed the rich and bold traditional French flavours from the kitchen, something that is not easy to find these days in London. The service on the night was pure class, our French witness was truly a pro, very charming and warming. I paid about £160 per person for a 3-course meal plus cheese with wine, which is actually not a bad deal as Le Gavroche provided me one of the finest dinners in London, and all the food costs already covered the service charge. London is lucky to have such a wonderful French restaurant like this, and I hope it won't go away anytime soon.



Food 4.5/5

Chef patron: 
Michel Roux Jr

Average cost without drinks and services:
£76 lunch menu
£178 tasting menu

Le Gavroche, 43 Upper Brook Street
London W1K 7QR

http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk