They say you should never meet your idols. And of course, "they" have a point. As soon as you realise the natural flaws and failings of something or someone that you have built up to an improbable and impossible degree it all falls apart. I have had the same thing in some cases with restaurants before. Maybe you should never eat your idols. Does that work?
I had wanted to go to Le Gavroche for years. Literally. It had been more or less at the top of my London list for as long as I've been writing this blog. The risk of wanting something this badly is that it goes one of two ways: either it doesn't live up to your expectations (never eat your idols, as they might one day say); or you're just so determined it's going to be perfect that it is.
The chef patron of Le Gavroche is one rather famous Michel Roux Jr. He's more out and about than actually cooking in the kitchen these days, yet whilst his recent and frequent turns on Masterchef : The Professionals have detracted slightly from his work (yet improved his celebrity cache), the guy clearly knows flavour, style and how to construct a menu. The signature dishes and quality at his restaurant have near lead the way in London for years now. Suited and booted, late in the evening, ready to be impressed, in we went.
I loved Le Gavroche. Right down to its ludicrously plush carpets and piss-weak lighting. (Yes, I know all about terrible lighting, but it worked here.) I'm writing this review with an even more biased slant than usual (it was a birthday gift for me and I wasn't paying), but I was always going to enjoy this one. So, even down to the lighting, the evening was a success. But not a total one. Here's why…
There are several reasons to like Le Gavroche instantly. It is magnificently decorated, superbly furnished, opulently styled, yet somehow understated. Despite all the gloss on the surface, there is something rather modest about its manner and pace. There is a second reason for this: the staff. I was talking to a friend shortly before the meal who told me "there are staff everywhere…but you won't notice them." A remarkably pithy and precise comment. There are indeed staff fluttering about, yet in such an unobtrusive way that you don't always notice they're there. After food quality, service is everything and Le Gavroche delivers on priority two with aplomb.
Food-wise, the thing you remember from Le Gavroche above all else is they don't hold back. They do not stop feeding you. It's a seamless procession of pre- and post-courses which nearly meld into one massive experience. I say "nearly" because it isn't quite as smooth as it could be. We nearly lost out on one of our pre-starters as it was about to be taken away before we had finished it. Even so, the quality of these morsels in general was excellent. Bits of foie gras and cold fish, all on the mark.
On to the business of the meal proper, there were soaring highs and average middles. The starters were two of those said highs. Despite the moderately decadent nature of the restaurant, sometimes there's a lot to be said for simple, seasonal quality. And our first starter was a model of such features. Egg yolk and pea ravioli (one of the former, two of the latter) along with chicken wings and asparagus sounds all over the place. It looked it too, slightly (left). However, the texture and formation of the pasta was perfect, and everything was cooked right. I struggled a little at first, but the final bite, combining all elements of the dish - the fresh peas with the smooth pureé, the in-season asparagus, the salty chicken and the silky yolk - showed how local, seasonal and elegant are a stunning distillation of tastes and ideas.
The second starter, however, was something absolutely opulently French. A richer-than-rich combination of strong, bold and brash flavours, our mousse of chicken with foie gras atop a slice of artichoke, decorated with truffles was heart-stopping in more than just the literal sense (right). The deliciously fluffy and smooth liver mousse was exceptional with the perfectly-cooked artichoke base. Within lurked two slabs of seared foie gras which you could actually pick out amongst the bolder flavours of the dish; no mean combination. Slivers of truffle adorned the dome of mousse along with a rich jus, which eventually slid the whole affair into a gorgeous first course.
Our main courses were leaning towards the slightly more decadent side of things once again. A rare steak with foie gras was just about what you expect: rich, moist, dressed well… and served with crisps (left). Surprising for sure but generally speaking it was good. You can't say a lot more than that, because the individual parts of the dish were less pronounced than the starters and it was less spectacular in general. However, the one area of the plate which pushed the dish into culinary overdrive was the truffled hollandaise sauce: exactly as wonderful as it sounds.
The roast saddle of rabbit with parmesan and potatoes was lovely (right). The rabbit was stunningly well-cooked and combined with the potatoes and other miscellaneous vegetables. I must admit I do love the nature of classic French food in this respect: vegetables are only there to make up the numbers. The strangest parts of the dish were the accompaniments to the rabbit. The potatoes had been strung out, knitted into the thinnest chips you've ever seen and were a deliciously crunchy contrast to the soft rabbit and smooth sauce. The parmesan was crisp-fried into what I can only describe as a hat, which topped off the dish in eccentric but satisfying fashion. It was a dish of the most fanciful comfort food you could wish to eat.
By this stage, we were fairly stuffed in terms of both the richness and volume of food, but the non-stop nature of the evening continued. We were each presented with a long glass boat containing fruit jellies, macaroons and impressive sugar work. Unnecessary, lavish, sweet and quite pleasant: welcome to desserts.
Puddings came in the form of one which was far too complicated and didn't live up to the evening's standards and one which was superb. The former was a dégustation aux framboises or an assortment of raspberries to you and me (left). This sounded impressive but eventually failed to deliver on two fronts. The soufflé was miniature and tasty, the sorbet was fresh and zingy, but the rest wasn't up to snuff. The mille-feuille of chocolate and raspberries was neither luxuriant enough to allow the chocolate to flourish, nor inventive enough to really taste the raspberries. The doughnut served with raspberry sauce was something of a nuisance. They might have been better just giving us a decent-sized raspberry soufflé with sorbet.
Soufflé, it turns out, is one of Le Gavroche's strengths. As well it might be, given how whole-heartedly true to France it is. The passion fruit and white chocolate soufflé made up for more or less any shortcomings with the raspberries (right). Served hot at the table with a fresh passion fruit sauce, then extravagantly topped with a sublime white chocolate ice cream, it was just about the best soufflé I have eaten.
And so it was... I will say right now that Le Gavroche didn't completely live up to my expectations. And that's why eating your idols is bad. However, for the most part it was a very enjoyable meal, served expertly and tasting stellar at times. The only dish that could be described as average was the raspberry dessert, whereas more or less everything else was exceptional.
There is one thing that stuck in my craw though: price. As I said before I wasn't paying, but I did happen to catch a glance at the priced menu a couple of times. I do think the food is overpriced. For example, if you wanted lobster mousse to start, that would cost you nearly £60. Now I realise that a dish as magnificent as lobster mousse will always cost a lot, but consider the addition to your total meal cost with that. And the mark-up on your service charge. Le Gavroche might be a wonderful dinner, but your bank balance will know about it afterwards.
Miserly moaning out of the way, I did have a wonderful time at the London restaurant I had coveted longest. The evening was lovely, the service was great, the food was (for the most part) delicious and the place itself is superbly impressive. An institution for sure; one that deserves to continue to stand the test of time.
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