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London,
Fay Maschler's rating
Reader rating
Description: "Old-school in the best possible way" -- Michael Roux Jr's Mayfair institution of 40 years' standing still offers "sensational" Gallic cooking, "legendary" service and a "definitive" wine list; prices, of course, are "extra-terrestrial".
Food: 
Service: 
Ambience:
Phone: 020 7408 0881
Website: http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk
Open: Monday - Friday: Lunch: 12.00 noon - 2.00pm Dinner: 6.30pm - 11.00pm Saturday - Dinner only
Dress code: Suits
Good for: Romantic meals, Business, Good food, Ambience.
Payment options: All major cards
Bringing a London touch: Michel Roux Junior is chef de cuisine at Le Gavroche
Journalism is without doubt a corrosive profession. In my case one of the insidious effects is on hand-written thank-you letters; so many to write but, with deadlines usually hovering, so few ever achieved. This review is by way of a thank-you letter to the friend who took Reg and I to dinner last week at Le Gavroche.
Our host - himself a chef of some renown - said: "Honest-to-god, Fay, Le Gavroche is the only place in London where I spend my own money to eat fine food."
As I let myself sink into the velvet clutches of the restaurant's hospitality, I realised how long it was since I had eaten dinner there. The set-price lunch at £46 including wine and water - even if not quite yet water into wine - is a slightly more regular treat.
Albert and Michel Roux opened Le Gavroche in Lower Sloane Street 40 years ago and introduced London to the novel concept of a chef-led restaurant with a relatively short menu of French classics made distinctive in their preparation. The move to Mayfair in the early 1980s was when "zee bruzzers", as they call themselves, decided to concentrate on different fiefdoms; Albert at Le Gavroche, Michel at The Waterside Inn.
It must be of no small satisfaction to Albert and Michel that their sons have followed them into the kitchen. Michel Junior is now chef de cuisine at Le Gavroche while Alain performs that role at The Waterside Inn.
The young Michel has brought a lighter, livelier, what you might call more London touch to the cooking at Le Gavroche - which makes perfect sense - but it is the presence of Silvano Giraldin, in charge of front-of-house since 1971, which sets the seal on the dining experience.
Silvano, who seems ageless, has perfected the art of giving a customer his complete attention while noticing every detail of what is going on elsewhere in the room. All are treated with equal respect and customers last Friday night covered all bases in the spectrum of young to old, raffish to regal.
The bustle of service is productive, not intrusive. I've seen small children instantly absorb the principles of good behaviour simply through being exposed to them at Le Gavroche.
Our meal had many highlights, including a delightfully old-school quenelles de brochet et coquilles St Jacques, sauce velouté; that pig's extremity which Pierre Koffmann turned into a pot of gold - a trotter, boned and stuffed, here served with a roasted vegetable salad; a darne or, as the menu translates it a T-bone, of turbot served with chick pea chips and courgette cannelloni; a delectable dish for two of roasted suckling pig.
Because we were with a chef, an extra dish arrived: foie gras with a powerful slick of sauce and a wedge of crisp duck b'stilla. If you have no qualms about eating foie gras, I would urge you to order this, having saved up for an undeniably expensive experience in a world apart. Even better, get a generous friend to take you.
• Price above estimates a meal with wine for one.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Simply the most sumptious meal I have ever had. From the moment you enter the door to Le Gavroche (suitably held open for you), you are immersed in an experience which is designed to ensure that you do not leave dissapointed.
The decor, whilst traditional, is of high quality and comfortable. The food is somewhat traditional, and is of very high quality. The service fully lives up to it's legendary status.
My wife and I went there for her Birthday. It is so traditional, that her menu did not have prices on, hence she picked the most expensive entre, without realising. When you go, you will spend alot of money - so just relax into it and enjoy, without counting the pennies. Our evening meal for two, with a cheapish (for Le Gavroche) and excellent wine, and coffee, was £350.
- Steve, London, UK
