Jay Rayner's review of Le Gavroche (The Observer)
Le Gavroche reviews
My 27-year old foodie son resisted my invitations to Le Gavroche for some time, but graciously agreed to come for my 60th birhtday (Full of old people? Hooray! Get over it - those of us who grew up in the sixties are still ready to party). He was blown away by the faultless service as well as the marvellous food. Can't recommend the restaurant too highly.
by dedwards42, 02 Sep 2008
by dedwards42, 02 Sep 2008
Last Friday my partner booked a table at Le Gavroche to celebrate our anniversary. We were both very much looking forward to the evening since we read some nice reviews about the restaurant and your restaurant has been on my list for a very long time. We are food lovers and we don't like gimmicks or novelty food, so when we read in one of the reviews that the décor of the restaurant was a bit dated we perversely thought it was a good thing, assuming that Le Gavroche is a temple for food lovers and not a trendy place to be seen etc...not that we would mind if the décor was a bit more stylish. Our evening at Le Gavroche turned out to be a real disappointment. We chose the 'Menu Exceptionnel' with matching wine in order to sample dishes that reflect the chef's skills and the restaurant's reputation. We chose to have the menu with matching wine as we had several superb experiences at the Orrery, discovering nice wine that would match with the meal. (In fact, on a couple of occasions, we even bought some wine that we like to take home). When we saw that the first wine on the menu wasn't actually a wine but Kriek Cherry beer, we thought that the wine menu looked promising as every wine was chosen carefully to match with each course and in this case the Cherry beer was chosen as a good match for the first course. Anyway, throughout the meal, we discovered that the wine selected were pretty ordinary apart from the desert wine. Not only that, the sommelier and the kitchen were not very co-ordinated: the wine often arrived 5-10 minutes after the food which is not very impressive for a restaurant of this standard. Furthermore, I found it very sexist the fact that the sommelier only addressed to my partner when he described the wine. As for the food, it was rather very ordinary (if not mediocre) comparing with tasting menus that we had at Petrus (Marcus Weiring obtained a very well deserved 2nd Michelin star this year), Orrery and Angela Hartnett at the Connaught which always reflected the chef's skills and talent.
Here are my comments for each course:
1) Thon Mi-Cuit, Vinaigrette au Gingembre Pimenté: the use of sesame oil is very Asian and reminded us of some kind of fusion food.
2) Pointes d'Asperges Vertes, Parmesan, Jambon 'Pata Negra' et Vinaigrette de Truffes; this combination was a waste of very good ingredients. The Cured Iberian ham is the king of ham and is very good by itself but not with the overwhelming truffle dressing. 'More is not always more'
3) 'Petit Pave de Saumon Sauvage Roti et sa Peau Croustillante', we thought the salmon was a bit overcooked (dry).
4) 'Escalope de Foie Gras Chaud et Pastilla à la Cannelle': the foie gras was OK but the crispy pancake of duck was far too salty & stodgy and the combination of flavours did not work at all.
5) Carré d'Agneau Roti, Jus a l'Echalote et Estragon: This dish was competently executed but ordinary comparing with meat dishes that we had in other tasting menus (i.e. Petrus, Orrery and Angela Harnett). The meat dish that we have in other tasting menus usually has three different cuts of meat cooked in three different ways so that the chef can show off his/her talent.
6) Le Plateau de Fromages Affinés: When I saw the cheese trolley from far I was excited to see the wide variety. However the cheese experience at Le Gavroche was also big disappointment. Due the layout of all the tables at the restaurant, the waiter couldn't push the trolley close enough for us to see what cheese selection was available. The waiter only asked us two questions before serving the cheese: a) whether we like goat cheese, b) whether there is any cheese we don't like. Then off he went to randomly cut 4 pieces of cheese for each of us. When he gave us the plate of cheese, he didn't even tell us what cheeses were on the plate and in what order we should eat them (this is the normal practice in other restaurants we've been to). We eat a lot of French cheese at home and when we go to restaurants with a big selection of cheese, we are keen to taste something we haven't had before. Unfortunately, because we didn't get to see and choose the cheese, one of cheese that was given to us was something we usually eat at home.
7) Gâteau Opéra et son Sorbet Chocolat: The chocolate sorbet was very nice but Gâteau Opéra was rather ordinary (we've had better elsewhere).
8) Oeufs à la neige, Crème Vanille et Compote de Fraises: this French classic was very well executed and we like it very much.
To complete our experience at Le Gavroche, when the bill came we were overcharged (a bottle of wine at £144 was added by mistake to the bill), again not very impressive for a restaurant of this standard.
...what a memorable evening that was!
by K&T (4 reviews), 13 Aug 2007
Here are my comments for each course:
1) Thon Mi-Cuit, Vinaigrette au Gingembre Pimenté: the use of sesame oil is very Asian and reminded us of some kind of fusion food.
2) Pointes d'Asperges Vertes, Parmesan, Jambon 'Pata Negra' et Vinaigrette de Truffes; this combination was a waste of very good ingredients. The Cured Iberian ham is the king of ham and is very good by itself but not with the overwhelming truffle dressing. 'More is not always more'
3) 'Petit Pave de Saumon Sauvage Roti et sa Peau Croustillante', we thought the salmon was a bit overcooked (dry).
4) 'Escalope de Foie Gras Chaud et Pastilla à la Cannelle': the foie gras was OK but the crispy pancake of duck was far too salty & stodgy and the combination of flavours did not work at all.
5) Carré d'Agneau Roti, Jus a l'Echalote et Estragon: This dish was competently executed but ordinary comparing with meat dishes that we had in other tasting menus (i.e. Petrus, Orrery and Angela Harnett). The meat dish that we have in other tasting menus usually has three different cuts of meat cooked in three different ways so that the chef can show off his/her talent.
6) Le Plateau de Fromages Affinés: When I saw the cheese trolley from far I was excited to see the wide variety. However the cheese experience at Le Gavroche was also big disappointment. Due the layout of all the tables at the restaurant, the waiter couldn't push the trolley close enough for us to see what cheese selection was available. The waiter only asked us two questions before serving the cheese: a) whether we like goat cheese, b) whether there is any cheese we don't like. Then off he went to randomly cut 4 pieces of cheese for each of us. When he gave us the plate of cheese, he didn't even tell us what cheeses were on the plate and in what order we should eat them (this is the normal practice in other restaurants we've been to). We eat a lot of French cheese at home and when we go to restaurants with a big selection of cheese, we are keen to taste something we haven't had before. Unfortunately, because we didn't get to see and choose the cheese, one of cheese that was given to us was something we usually eat at home.
7) Gâteau Opéra et son Sorbet Chocolat: The chocolate sorbet was very nice but Gâteau Opéra was rather ordinary (we've had better elsewhere).
8) Oeufs à la neige, Crème Vanille et Compote de Fraises: this French classic was very well executed and we like it very much.
To complete our experience at Le Gavroche, when the bill came we were overcharged (a bottle of wine at £144 was added by mistake to the bill), again not very impressive for a restaurant of this standard.
...what a memorable evening that was!
by K&T (4 reviews), 13 Aug 2007
Simply perfection! Every single mouthful caused gasps of delight to fall from my lips (with the effect that I sounded as though I was auditioning for an 'Emanuelle' film). Le Gavroche's 'menu exceptionnel' may seem frighteningly expensive at £150 per person. However, for eight courses, with amuse bouches and a generous glass of excellent wine with each course, it really is worth every penny. Particularly divine were the John Dory, the foie gras and the cheeses.
The meal was made even more memorable and special by the standard of the service. There was no sense of anybody rushing, just complete efficiency. Yet the waiters remained jovial and approachable throughout. We had gone to celebrate my birthday and my mother had said when booking that she was highly allergic to shellfish. Impressively, the Maitre d' had learnt our names and knew our situation perfectly, and informed us the chef was perfectly willing to accommodate her needs for the eight courses. At the end of the meal, without being asked, they very discreetly presented me with a small gift and a special souffle (at no extra cost) with 'Happy Birthday' delicately written in chocolate on the plate.
All I can say is go! Yes, it's formal but enjoy it - get all dressed up and just wallow in the glorious cooking and the decadent pleasure of being waited on hand and foot.
by Anon 234 (2 reviews), 12 Jul 2007
The meal was made even more memorable and special by the standard of the service. There was no sense of anybody rushing, just complete efficiency. Yet the waiters remained jovial and approachable throughout. We had gone to celebrate my birthday and my mother had said when booking that she was highly allergic to shellfish. Impressively, the Maitre d' had learnt our names and knew our situation perfectly, and informed us the chef was perfectly willing to accommodate her needs for the eight courses. At the end of the meal, without being asked, they very discreetly presented me with a small gift and a special souffle (at no extra cost) with 'Happy Birthday' delicately written in chocolate on the plate.
All I can say is go! Yes, it's formal but enjoy it - get all dressed up and just wallow in the glorious cooking and the decadent pleasure of being waited on hand and foot.
by Anon 234 (2 reviews), 12 Jul 2007
Good food (if slightly heavy for my taste) and very good service, but with a clientele with a mean age around 50 years old.
by rea "top london reviewer" (19 reviews), 07 Feb 2006
by rea "top london reviewer" (19 reviews), 07 Feb 2006
The atmosphere is very formal and definitely not trendy, but if you are a true 'foodie' this won't matter. The food and service were outstanding, from our pre-dinner drinks straight through to after-dinner coffee and chocolates.
by Anonymous, 22 Oct 2005
by Anonymous, 22 Oct 2005
Full of old people, decor is a bit dated and it feels a bit stuffy, formal service of another era, no windows, very expensive.
Utterly amazing food - consistently perfect cooking, probably the best I've had in Britain.
by anonymous howard (3 reviews), 17 Aug 2005
Utterly amazing food - consistently perfect cooking, probably the best I've had in Britain.
by anonymous howard (3 reviews), 17 Aug 2005
One of my favourite restaurants in London without a doubt. The food is always virtually impossible to fault - beautifully prepared and presented and I always find several things on the menu that have me almost drooling in anticipation. I'm never disappointed when they arrive.
The decor is attractive in a grown-up way, but unlike many restaurants it's purely a backdrop. They're not trying to impress you with their taste in interior decoration or make you feel that you are at the cutting edge of something - they just cook amazing food.
by Sarah M. "top london reviewer" (32 reviews), 24 Apr 2005
The decor is attractive in a grown-up way, but unlike many restaurants it's purely a backdrop. They're not trying to impress you with their taste in interior decoration or make you feel that you are at the cutting edge of something - they just cook amazing food.
by Sarah M. "top london reviewer" (32 reviews), 24 Apr 2005
Indisputably one of London's finest. Classic in every sense, with warm, efficient service and a fantastic wine list.
It's fairly formal (men should apparently wear jackets) and it's not cheap, but definitely worth a visit.The 7 course set menu was great - magnificent deserts too.
by S.G. (11 reviews), 18 Feb 2005
It's fairly formal (men should apparently wear jackets) and it's not cheap, but definitely worth a visit.The 7 course set menu was great - magnificent deserts too.
by S.G. (11 reviews), 18 Feb 2005
Brilliant food combined with the best service, relaxed, confident and a little formal. Perfect for business meetings, dates (when you want to impress) or even eating alone. Pure pleasure.
by Anonymous, 16 Dec 2004
by Anonymous, 16 Dec 2004
I have been going to Le Gavroche from an early age and have only had one bad meal there. The service is excellent, the food is even better. Not a casual place by all means but great for a first date or important occasions.
by Laetitya (5 reviews), 08 Dec 2004
by Laetitya (5 reviews), 08 Dec 2004
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