Restaurant Review #14 - Le Gavroche
Hi everyone,
It would be fair to say that Britain has not got the most exciting food history and culture. It has improved significantly in recent times and a large figure of its modern history is Le Gavroche. Opened in 1967, this restaurant has been a prestigious cornerstone of British fine dining. In fact, Le Gavroche was the first British restaurant to receive 1 and 2 Michelin stars. While the fabled 3 stars may allude them, they have still been a reference for culinary excellence. Located in what appears to be a residential house, it may be hard to first locate the restaurant. Once inside, the restaurant is intimate and it has kept many of the features which you would expect to see in a house not a restaurant. Once such feature is the bathroom, which left more to be desired. Nevertheless, the service staff were very professional and well trained.
The menu contained many traditional French dishes with some modern twists. However, one concept which may annoy some people is that they only give one person the prices. Thereby assuming that the person which made the booking is paying for the whole meal. While I can appreciate that if going on a date perhaps it would be romantic for your partner to choose their dish irrespective of price, it seems an outdated concept. The exclusivity of the restaurant should be sufficient to know this will be an expensive experience. After some complimentary bites, I had my main course.
On this occasion I chose the halibut. Halibut remains one of my favourite fishes, particularly of the white fish variety. It's firm texture and flavour make it a joy to eat if cooked properly. The special I chose came with seasonal vegetables and potatoes. It was difficult to fault this dish as everything was cooked very well and the freshness from the vegetables balanced the halibut beautifully. However, having been to many excellent restaurants before there was something missing. Perhaps a special twist that would elevate this dish. In my opinion, this is what is missing from Le Gavroche to elevate it to the pinnacle of the Michelin guide.
The dessert was also hard to fault. I went for the soufflé with white chocolate ice cream. Unlike the Ritz, Le Gavorche has really perfected this dish as it was cooked very well. The small desserts that followed were also interesting but after finishing I was left with a feeling that something was missing. The food itself was of a very high quality and the ambience had an exclusive feel. Maybe due to being previously spoilt with the best restaurants, I felt wanting more from this experience. I can see why Le Gavroche has a brilliant reputation and 2 Michelin stars. However, I can also see why it has yet to achieve 3 Michelin stars. The restaurant has been in it's current residence from nearly 40 years, however I feel that it either needs a huge renovation or a change of home. Eating here feels like eating in a high-end French restaurant from the 1980s. Perhaps it is now time for a change in direction if it is to become one of the best restaurants in the world.
Price: Fine Dining
Food: Classic French
Service: Professional
Rating: 4/5
Fun Fact: Many notable British chefs have worked in Le Gavroche which include: Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Marcos Wareing.
It would be fair to say that Britain has not got the most exciting food history and culture. It has improved significantly in recent times and a large figure of its modern history is Le Gavroche. Opened in 1967, this restaurant has been a prestigious cornerstone of British fine dining. In fact, Le Gavroche was the first British restaurant to receive 1 and 2 Michelin stars. While the fabled 3 stars may allude them, they have still been a reference for culinary excellence. Located in what appears to be a residential house, it may be hard to first locate the restaurant. Once inside, the restaurant is intimate and it has kept many of the features which you would expect to see in a house not a restaurant. Once such feature is the bathroom, which left more to be desired. Nevertheless, the service staff were very professional and well trained.
The menu contained many traditional French dishes with some modern twists. However, one concept which may annoy some people is that they only give one person the prices. Thereby assuming that the person which made the booking is paying for the whole meal. While I can appreciate that if going on a date perhaps it would be romantic for your partner to choose their dish irrespective of price, it seems an outdated concept. The exclusivity of the restaurant should be sufficient to know this will be an expensive experience. After some complimentary bites, I had my main course.
On this occasion I chose the halibut. Halibut remains one of my favourite fishes, particularly of the white fish variety. It's firm texture and flavour make it a joy to eat if cooked properly. The special I chose came with seasonal vegetables and potatoes. It was difficult to fault this dish as everything was cooked very well and the freshness from the vegetables balanced the halibut beautifully. However, having been to many excellent restaurants before there was something missing. Perhaps a special twist that would elevate this dish. In my opinion, this is what is missing from Le Gavroche to elevate it to the pinnacle of the Michelin guide.
The dessert was also hard to fault. I went for the soufflé with white chocolate ice cream. Unlike the Ritz, Le Gavorche has really perfected this dish as it was cooked very well. The small desserts that followed were also interesting but after finishing I was left with a feeling that something was missing. The food itself was of a very high quality and the ambience had an exclusive feel. Maybe due to being previously spoilt with the best restaurants, I felt wanting more from this experience. I can see why Le Gavroche has a brilliant reputation and 2 Michelin stars. However, I can also see why it has yet to achieve 3 Michelin stars. The restaurant has been in it's current residence from nearly 40 years, however I feel that it either needs a huge renovation or a change of home. Eating here feels like eating in a high-end French restaurant from the 1980s. Perhaps it is now time for a change in direction if it is to become one of the best restaurants in the world.
Price: Fine Dining
Food: Classic French
Service: Professional
Rating: 4/5
Fun Fact: Many notable British chefs have worked in Le Gavroche which include: Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Marcos Wareing.
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