Le Gavroche review
MICHELIN ** 2023 | London, UK.
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An establishment dedicated to tradition and classical french cooking. Le Gavroche does not give itself to fanfare or modern experiments; it's about the basics and depth of gastronomy to its finest. After 56 years in existence, Le Gavroche still manages to pull in the punches. About two months till its official close in January 2024, this Michelin 2 star restaurant has the grit to sail into the sunset with its head held high.
Unfortunately chef Roux, was not available on the day I dined but the overwhelming topic was the Chef now wants to prioritize family over everything else after working on all engines for decades. It does not have the experimental flair of an Aulis, Muse or Da Terra, but it revels in its back to basics gastronomy making a fine ending and twilight to the family establishment that introduced french gastronomy into the United Kingdom.
First impressions
Le Gavroche nestled on Upper Brooke street, a few minutes from Bond Street Station in London; it exudes the vibe of a private members club as opposed to a restaurant. Charming, classic and traditional. It starts off at the entrance leading directly into the bar where an aperitif can be had. The main dining room is underground through the staircase and the halls are lined with images and pictures of the Chef showcasing history of the establishment. The restaurant is dimly lit exuding a more intimate nature to the dinning.
The Food?
Le Gavroche has two sets of menus, a 7 course tasting menu and an a la carte. On this occasion, they also had in addition to the tasting menu a chef’s recommendation consisting of BBQ scallops. I went with the 7 course tasting menu. The main start to the course was the signature cheese souffle; the much talked about signature souffle and ended with petit fours. According to Michel Roux’s Oxford Union address in 2015, the Cheese soufflé has been on the menu since 1967, apart from a few occasions when it was excluded, and customers hammered for it to come back.
Highlights
Hot passion fruit souffle with white chocolate icecream: As my chosen dessert for the night, this was a major highlight to my stay and took the top spot out of a selection of world class dishes. I opted to replace my ‘dark chocolate glazed banana’ dessert with a passion fruit souffle. It has the richness of a well made souffle, great texture, and consistency and now with an interesting zest from passion fruit seeds, and white chocolate ice-cream. The combination gave me a much well end to the 7 course
Roast Venison, Beetroots, Blackberries & Green Peppercorn Sauce: If there could be a definition of a perfect dish, this will be it. The venison was made medium-rare, with the blackberries and beetroot giving a fruity mix and flavor profile complementing the savory venison and green peppercorn sauce. The peppercorn sauce was beautifully made, and seemed like venison stock was also utilised in the production. It worked beautifully
Cheese Souffle Cooked on Double Cream: The signature start to Le Gavroche, the most amazing cheese souffle cooked on double cream. It came in a shape that did not look like a souffle. It felt like a cloud on a plate on top of a base of milk. My experiences with souffles up to this point had been through a Ramekin, but this was served on something different. On taste, absolutely cheesy perfection and delicious. If you are not a fan of cheese, this may not be to your liking
Warm Crab with Brown Crab Mousse, Sweetcorn & Oscietra Caviar: This must have been the second most decadent dish of the night (with the first being the cheese souffle). This course tasted like opulence (even without the caviar). The brown crab mousse is a standout on the plate with warm crab serving as a foundation and topped with caviar. The dish was amazing
Low point
Fresh Pasta Filled with Confit Chicken Neck, Pumpkin & Sage: The pasta wins the mark for technique and design but falls short in taste and flavor. The pasta filling tasted dry to me and did not work well with the other elements on the plate. This was my only low point of the night, but albeit was a marginal low point.
Neutral
Pickled & Torched Mackerel, Miso Dressing, Apple & Red Radish Meat: This was the second course of the night, and was a near miss for me. The mackerel works but worked better when combined with all the elements on the plate. The plating looked scanty and seems a consomme or sauce could have saved it from itself
Selection of French & British Farmhouse Cheeses: If I could go without a main cheese tray course, I would, but I gave this a trial. I took a selection of 4 cheeses; the extremely safe Cheddar, soumaintrain, munster and chorice cheese. I coupled this with oat biscuits, jelly and grapes. The combination of the jelly, grapes, and any of the cheese works perfectly. My favorite was when coupled with cheddar. This was more of a neutral dish to me, as without it, the other courses would have been exceptional
What I missed
I would have loved to see Chef Roux, but well he is not on the menu. Course wise, I was satisfied with what I got.
Drinks
My regular drink of choice is anything with passion fruit. On this occasion I had passion fruit nectar as part of the Alain Milliat selection. It worked for me.
Front of house treatment
Absolutely amazing experience with the front of house staff, especially with ‘Sweetie’, the main staff member that took care of our experience during the stay. Sweetie is from Mauritius and showed a level of service I have not experienced in a long time. She was so good in her interactions and witty remarks. I had to inquire about her training or school or anything that could have given her the tact and service oriented role she played. She mentioned she did not have a formal service training, but worked extensively and honed her skills in Mauritius. In addition to all the other front of house members that worked with us, she was our standout experience and puts Le Gavroche in another respectable light for me.
Parting words
It's a GC-WAV (Worth_Another_Visit).
Le Gavroche lost its 3rd star in 1993, after being the first restaurant in the UK to attain the 1st, 2nd and 3rd stars. Since 1993, Le Gavroche had not been able to regain its third star, and now as a close is about 10 weeks away, there is no more room to try. However, the 7 courses I had will rival any Michelin 3 star restaurant. Ambience wise, the restaurant may not have the semblance of other 3 star establishments, but the culinary engineering and techniques on the plate are reminiscent of a long gone era; classical elegance without the frivolities.
Gavroche is not a regular restaurant, it's steeply traditional and bold in its heritage. In January 2024 when it's scheduled to close, even though everyone is equal when they’re dead, Gavroche will remain historically relevant, having been the training ground for some household names in the culinary world. Gastronomy at its finest.
You know the drill
Would you be going back to Le Gavroche? (How likely are you to go back to Le Gavroche)
Yes (but it closes in January 2024)
Would you recommend Le Gavroche? (How likely are you to recommend Le Gavroche)
Yes
Did you feel happier leaving the restaurant than when you came in?
Yes
Till next time.
JR (for Gourmet Circuit)