Le Gavroche

I can say without a doubt that Le Gavroche was the best meal I've had for a long long time. Now if only I can afford to eat here more often. This is the restaurant of Michel Roux Jr, son of the famous Michel Roux. I have to say he has carried on the tradition very well.

Food

I thought it was a great touch that the guys and the ladies get a different menu. The ladies’ menu actually don’t have any prices printed on it. You get a choice of the degustation or the a la carte. In this case, we decided to go a la carte.

To start, there was a selection of bread. We tried the sourdough, country, white baguette, with the best being the sourdough. The bread though, compared to the rest of the meal, is pretty boring, it’s good but not great.

I also decided that it would be wrong of me not to drink, so I ordered some GL Vin Blanc (£5) as a token gesture, and also because it’s one of the cheapest things on the menu, considering our bottle of Evian was £4 and the water they served us at the bar was another £4.

For entrees, we chose Artichoke filled with Foie Gras, truffles and chicken mousse (£36.80), which didn’t sound like it was going to be that great, who knew artichoke goes with foie gras afterall, but it was absolutely wonderful, the artichoke was actually quite mellow, allowing the foie gras and truffle to enhance the dish. Words really can’t describe how wonderful this is. The Langoustines and snails glazed in a light hollandaise sauce, flavoured with basque pepper and parsley (£24.90) was again magnificent, the sauce was out of this world, the langoustines excellent.

I couldn’t wait for main course, and they didn’t disappoint either. The theatre show that preceded the mains, the aroma as the plates were placed before us, and the savouring of every last bite. The Red Mullet and Beef Marrow Toast, Red Wine and Shallot Sauce (£28.60) was one of the cheapest mains on the menu, and I ordered it as I wanted to see what seafood was like at the top level. I can say that it didn’t disappoint at all, so fish CAN be good here, if you are willing to pay for it. The Roast rib of French veal, creamed morel mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes (£40.80), on the other hand, was one of the most expensive, but it was worth it. This is seriously the best piece of meat I have ever had. It was meltingly soft, melt in the mouth, with a wonderfully scented sauce. I am sure I had more fat in the mashed potatoes than is good for me, but boy it was good. I was really tempted to lick the sauce off the plate, and I am sure I am not the only one.

After that, I had high expectations for desserts, especially since I saw the Hot Passionfruit soufflé with White Chocolate Ice-Cream (£26.80) on the menu. I have been hankering for sensational soufflé since the time from Claudes. Sweet and tart, with a lovely foam topping. Poke a hole in the middle and pour in that sensational ice-cream, which is a big call for someone who doesn’t like white chocolate, as the sweetness of white chocolate in this case is needed for the passionfruit. Slokky was greedy, and ordered the Degustation chocolate (£28.90) - White and Milk Chocolate Mousse with Kirsch Soaked Cherries, Bitter Chocolate Sorbet and Chocolate Crème Brulee. The best of the 3 was definitely the crème brulee, like eating pour dark chocolate but more smooth and creamy. I loved the chocolate mousse too, but according to Slokky it was too alcoholic.

Dessert also came with a small plate of Petit Fours, which included almond tuile, almond cake, chocolate brownie…I was very satisfied after this (in fact, way before this), but Slokky wanted to see if Cappuccino (£6.40) at the most expensive restaurant we’ve ever eaten at would be any good…It was certainly the most expensive cappuccino I would ever care to drink, but at least it was good – with the exception of that foam…which was more like the food foam fad than any coffee foam. Since the coffee was so expensive, we made sure we ate a lot of the nougat that was served in a neat wooden box to accompany the coffee. As a result, I was REALLY FULL when I walked out.

Rating - 9.5

Atmosphere

Could it get more exclusive than this? I don’t know. When we arrived, we were lead to a sitting room, where we were given menus to pursue and drinks. We are then lead downstairs where we are seated in plush green banquette seating. The dining room was filled to capacity on this Wednesday night

Everyone dining there seem loaded and act that way too. Big pompous guys with their wire thin girlfriends, all wearing a slinky slip of a dress. It doesn’t look like any of them have to work for a living. There are also table of loud guys in suits. I definitely feel out of place.

Rating - 2

Service

All the waiters are either French or have to speak it anyway. There’s a big show of serving you. Everything is done on a serving table and covered with a silver tray. A lot of the guests are obviously regulars as they were laughing and joking like old friends with the Maitre D', Silvano Giraldin. I felt, like Hambleton Hall, everything is a bit stiff upper lip, but I guess that’s what the clientele expect.

Rating - 4

C-factor

I can’t believe we spent this much money on a meal, and this place wasn’t even 3 stars! Yes, I felt totally wowed and had a great time…As always, I didn’t like the fact that we paid £8 for water, but when you think that an entrée costs around £30, I guess it’s not too great a percentage. It’s just that when you think about it, I could have gone on a weekend away and still have change…those regulars must be loaded!

Rating - 0

Brownie Points - 15.5

Info

43 Upper Brook St
London
W1K 7QR
Phone+44 (0) 20 7408 0881
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