Last Saturday Jim and I were fortunate enough to dine at the gorgeous Michelin-starred, French “Gauthier” restaurant in Soho. Having booked fairly last minute (the Wednesday before) in terms of the popularity of Michelin restaurants, we were lucky in that we got a table at the semi-decent time of 6:45pm. Other restaurants I had looked at on Wednesday only had reservations available at 5:30 or 10:30pm on that Saturday.
The restaurant
Running slightly late and rushing from Leicester Square tube worried that our table would be given away to more time-aware people, we arrived outside Gauthier only a few minutes late. With the appearance of a London townhouse, and wedged between a busy Soho bar and another building, a sign by the door of the restaurant invited us to ring the bell, and on doing so we were promptly invited into a narrow hallway by a welcoming French lady. Having had our coats taken and been seated at our pristine, white cloth-draped, round table, we had a moment to take in the cosy and relaxed, neutral, yet elegantly decorated, subtly-lit, home dining room feel of the ground floor restaurant. There were about eight tables in total - it felt small (not cramped), but we guessed there must have been another restaurant upstairs as more people came and went than were seated in our intimate little dining room.
The food
We were provided with the menu and, before we’d even looked at what was on it, we were served a selection of six little canapés, in the form of salmon and watercress spirals, crispy focaccia sticks with a creamy mustard dip, and one other which was like an amazing little ball of sorbet with port jus (with the appearance of a rather appetising eye ball).
Our order was taken for aperitifs – Jim went with a tasty Bombay Sapphire and tonic, and I asked for a glass of Prosecco (Cantine Riondo, Veneto, Italy), which was definitely the most deliciously, bubbly alcohol I have ever tasted – every sip was dreamy!
We decided to go for four courses each, as opposed to the set menu, but everything looked absolutely incredible on both menus. As we were choosing, we were offered a selection of bread, with flavours ranging from poppy seed rolls, mini baguettes, raisin, and garlic, to tomato bread, and walnut. Our choices came with a plate of salted and unsalted butter – no options were left uncovered!
A lovely French waiter called Pierre took our food order, and then we finally (the wine list was extensive and fairly pricey!) made a decision on the wine – we went for a white – Chablis (Domaine Colette Gros). Excellent decision if I may say so myself! The wine was crisp and beautifully refreshing, and went perfectly with each different course chosen by Jim and me.
Before the first course we were given a tiny dish based on quinoa and containing black olives and vegetable puree. It was tiny, but delicious, and at this point I really began to get excited about the rest of our meal…
For the first course Jim ordered the Pheasant & Chestnut Cream with Sautéed Lettuce, Wild Mushroom & Herb Gioza - this was effectively a soup that was put carefully together at the table by the waiter. It smelt absolutely delicious and I could see by the smug look on Jim’s face that he thought he’d won the “best decision” prize for this course. However, my scallops were just as amazing.
Having never had them before I wanted to experience something new, and also something done to the best possible standard in terms of cooking, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were so succulent, and almost had the texture of marshmallow rather than fish, and the flavours of the purees that the three scallops were served with were fantastic.
After a perfect break for conversation and admiration of the dished being brought in for other guests, the second course was served. I went for the Wild Sea Bass & Figs with Braised Rainbow Chard and Classic Fish Reduction Scented with Sweet Wine, as I have a very unaffordable taste for sea bass, and generally make it my mission to have fish and other exotic things that I never normally have at home, in restaurants.
The fish was cooked to absolute perfection and seemed to melt in the mouth and the taster of fig served with it had an exciting flavour too. Jim chose the Red Mullet & Capers with Purple Artichokes, Confit Tomatoes & Taggiashe Olives and Purple Basil & Prawn Jus.
Again this smelt amazing (Jim wasn’t yet up for sharing his meal choices) and the presentation on both plates was just like something you see on the final of Masterchef, if not more impressive.
After another perfectly timed pause from eating our third course was served. By this time I imagined I’d have to be loosening my belt buckle, but as the portions were all about quality rather than quantity I was doing ok. For this course Jim had chosen the Highland Venison & Williams Pear with Celeriac &Black Truffle, Caramelised Pumpkin and Lightly Peppered Jus.
It was presented beautifully with a little portion of pumpkin, and jus decorating the plate. I went for the Guinea Fowl & Crayfish with Sautéed Cèpes Mushrooms, Baby Onions. This was the nicest part of my meal so far and probably one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in my life.
There was a selection of different parts of the bird, served with the mini lobster (crafish), tiny oval potatoes cooked to perfection, and the tastiest mushrooms I’ve ever eaten. I honestly didn’t want my plate of food to ever end!
Puddings came last, and there was a small, but exquisite selection on the dessert menu, of which I chose the apple cheese cake with ginger ice cream and orange jelly, and Jim the Golden Louis XV – a ridiculously rich and luxurious praline chocolate dessert.
Both were stunning, and nicely filled the little remaining space in our stomachs.
The service
The waiters and waitresses were so attentive, polite and accommodating in every way – we never once had to ask for wine refills, more water or anything. Jim asked at one point the best way to eat the crayfish that was served with my guinea fowl, and our waiter Pierre kindly said that you weren’t meant to eat any more than had been prepared in the dish, in such a way that didn’t make it embarrassing for us over our lack off crayfish knowledge.
Overall, I loved the seasonality of the menu, the superb service and the delicious food and wine more than I have loved any meal and I feel very lucky to have experienced such a top-notch way of dining, which transformed an otherwise average Saturday night into something I’ll be comparing my next few meals to for a while to come. There were also some novel yet amusing pictures decorating the ladies' and gents' bathrooms that added immense comic value to the evening...
