Although Galvin does not have a Michelin Star (so far), it is one of those identified as a “rising star” in the Michelin Guide. That’s good enough for me.
Food
The food was excellent, which was surprising considering the view that is offered up. We started with an amuse of Salmon Tartare, which wasn’t that spectacular and tasted like some good quality terrine you can get from Waitrose. Things start to look up from there though, with the wonderful wood-fired bread, or maybe my Vouvray was starting to take effect. Well, I did take a picture of the menu so at least I remember what I was eating.
Entrees consisted of Warm Lincolnshire Smoked Eel, Seared Foie Gras & Caramelized Victoria pineapple, which was excellent, with a nice smoky flavour, and the foie gras pairing worked surprisingly well. The Poached Scottish Lobster Salad, Mango & Herb Fromage Frais was more delicate. You can really taste the freshness of the lobster.
We were definitely psyched for the mains, and they didn’t disappoint. The Fillet of Scottish Beef, Pommes Fondant, Red Onion Marmalade and a Madeira Jus came recommended, and the fillet was definitely worth the extra money. Soft and melt in the mouth, with an excellent rich jus. The Pot au Feu of Poulet Noir & Stuffed Salsify Lettuce. with Foie Gras was actually more disappointing. I don’t usually order chicken at restaurants, but who could go pass Pot au Feu? Despite the presence of truffle and foie gras, I found that there wasn’t enough flavour in the chicken. The accompaniment of vegetables were nice, but also suffered from the lack of flavour.
Things look up again with desserts, both the Hot Chocolate Fondant, Schzuen Pepper Ice-Cream & Almond Milkshake, with its oozing dark chocolate, delicious ice-cream and cute as a button almond milkshake (which incidentally tasted like the Chinese almond dessert), and the Peanut Butter Parfait and Cherry Sorbet, with that heavy peanut taste with a tart cherry sorbet, were absolutely delicious, not to mention looking spectacular.
We were ready to call it a night, as we had been there for nearly 2 hours already, when they bought out some more sweeties to tempt us. The Raspberry and Lime Marshmallows were sublime, and if I wasn’t so full, I probably would’ve eaten a few more. The Madagascar, Orange flavoured chocolate too were sublime, but we were a bit too full to fully enjoy.
Rating - 7.5
Atmosphere
Galvin was buzzing on this Tuesday night. Almost all the tables were full. There seemed to be a mix of hotel guests and people celebrating a special occasion. And with that view, and the fact that you feel like a celebrity here, who could blame them. Next time, I’ll try for a table next to the floor to ceiling window.
Rating - 2.5
Service
I was very impressed with the waiters. Yes, they were French again, but they were very genuine, very effective, but didn’t feel the need to pour our water every 30seconds. They even came to apologise for the length of our wait for entrees, not that we even noticed.
Rating - 4.5
C-factor
The 3 course menu costs £58, with supplements for the lobster. Surprisingly we’ve had more expensive meals that were less enjoyable, so I think this is a great place for a special occasion, but only the fully loaded can afford to eat here often.
Rating - 0.5
Brownie Points - 15
Info
22 Park Lane
London
W1K 1BE
Phone +44 (0) 20 7208 4021
Website
No comments:
Post a Comment