Galvin La Chapelle

It has been a while since I’ve visited one of the Gavlin restaurants, and if I am honest it was more the clients’ choice than mine. Whilst I’ve enjoyed the food in both the Bistro De Lux and Window I’ve never really been blown away by them and that we were out on a Saturday night it seems a little wrong to me to be in the City when I don’t have to be.

Without doubt it is a very impressive building once inside, the huge vaulted ceiling and immaculately set tables, and you do spend the first few minutes just looking around at the amazing space.

We kicked of with a few cocktails in the adjacent café, and then went on to dinner in the restaurant itself. We opted for the tasting menu (£70) accompanied with the matching wines (£35). This encompassed crab lasagne, for me the best part of the meal, sea bass with lovely crisp skin, vegetable risotto, beetroot and goats cheese salad (the only let down course as a little incongruous with the whole meal I thought), fillet steak with potato fondant and creamed spinach all finished off with a superb tarte tatin. There were no amuse bouches or pre-desserts though, it is very much what you see on the menu is what you get, which is fine but detracts from the spoilt and pampered feeling some restaurants give to you.

Service wise was ok and the whole friendly and efficient, albeit a little too effusive with a queue of waiters and maitre d’s lining to talk to my dinner companion as he’d been there a ‘few’ times before. Good skills from the sommelier remembering the wine he usually drank. On the negative side, one course we had to chase for the matching wine and napkins were sometimes folded and sometimes not, but only minor infractions really.

All in all it was very pleasant, and for the standard of food and service £105 (plus 12.5%) a head for the tasting menu was good value, whilst I’d probably not race back I’d certainly recommend the place especially as the City is so lacking in top end restaurants.

Having recently been disappointed with Galvin’s Bistro De Luxe, it was with a certain degree of trepidation that I booked their recently Michelin anointed City joint, La Chapelle. I should not have worried: all in all, a far more satisfactory experience, and good to see that the brothers are at the top of their game here.

The Chapel was actually most recently a gym for the local girls school, and has the light, high ceilinged air of a gym, but fortunately without the sweaty air of a gym. It also has a hushed feel to it. A nod perhaps to the place, perhaps to the food.

The name La Chapelle doesn’t, as I’d assumed, come from the place being an old Chapel, but from the association with the wine of that name from the Rhone Valley. And there is a good selection of Jaboulet’s finest, from the ’94 (at a relatively sane £190 a bottle) to the mind bogglingly daft ’61 at the best part of £20k. Fortunately the rest of the wine list is more sensibly priced, with many bottles in the twenties and thirties (pounds not thousands thereof), some excellent small producer champagnes and a good selection of both by the glass and carafe.

Food is a good selection of Frenglish, with a lasagne of Dorset crab and broad bean soup sitting next to Mediterranean fish soup and foie gras salad. A fine fish soup too: rich, thick with fish and tangy with saffron and orange, coming with garlicky mayonnaise and croutons. The broad bean soup proved a hit too, slickly smothering the smoked duck.

Mains too were fine, with the red mullet and cod both hitting the spot without being outstandingly memorable.

In fact, whilst the food is good, this isn’t what most people will come here for. It is a serious place to conduct serious business: RBS and the EBRD are next door, and the £1,000 an hour lawyers from Allen & Overy reside on the doorstep. This is a canteen for the suited expense account brigade. To ensure that they keep coming back, the food is good without being challenging, the service is smooth without being obtrusive and the atmosphere is suitable reverent. A chapel is an excellent choice to house this combination.

With the recent star awarded to Galvin La Chapelle, The Square Mile now holds a trio of starred establishments, the accolade yet to be achieved by L’Anima, The Bleeding Heart and Lutyens. Expectations were high.

My first impression was very positive, the restaurant is in a converted school chapel with no expense spared fit out and dramatic vaulted ceilings. I arrived at their well stocked bar and am served with a well made G&T and small bowl of Olives and Nuts. Following a quick aperitif we were shown to our table and brought an ‘appetiser’ of the same bar Olives and shortly after, two bread options. Brown or – Olive. Unfortunately our (very friendly) Italian waiter’s grasp of English was so rudimentary that any questions around the menu were simply met with a single enthusiastic ‘fabulous’ – so we just ordered, both something fabulous apparently. Well done us.

Starters arrived, quickly. My guests Pressed Guinea Fowl was apparently very good, although I was unable to detect any crustacean in my Lasagne of Dorset crab with velouté of chanterelles, the veloute itself did have a teffific smooth and creamy texture. Starters finished and my £32 côte de boeuf with potato fondant looked decidedly unfabulous. The fondant potato or mille-feuille as they prefer to call it was already sliding around the plate in its own butter. The meat itself was tender and cooked well, the Béarnaise was delicious, but the cut even for a rib was very fatty, with at least of a third of its gloopy inedible weight remaining on my plate. My companion did much better with his saddle of Venison which looked very good. Still feeling rather peckish I opted for Cheese and am relieved to report that the selection was full of many very interesting choices and a delight. Two cracker options were offered in keeping with the theme.

The shared opinion (based on this one meal) was that it was not a Michelin star experience, although I will go back and try again because I really want to like it and other readers reviews have been so good. My feedback regarding the Steak was dealt with very professionally, hence my higher overall score.

Wine recommendation – Frog's leap Zinfandel Napa Valley

First went here for the set lunch and had to return for the dinner and what a dinner, the food was amazing, best meal I've had for years. To start with I had a Terrine of pork and foie gras, finished the plate in about 5 minutes flat it was that delicious, for main I had Breast of Landaise chicken and all the flavour combinations worked superbly. We has a cheese board to finish and they had a salty blue goats cheese which was to die for, I asked where it was from, they went off and printed an A4 page detailing the whole background story on the farm in France where they sourced this amazing cheese. All I can say is go and visit this restaurant, you won't be disappointed.

Another first class meal and evening at La Chapelle. The cooking is exemplary and the service on Saturday 23rd October 2010 was extremely good – friendly, professional and timed perfectly. The ambience of the room is great. Keep on finding myself coming back here – as it thoroughly deserves the repeat business!

First trip to Galvin La Chapelle after wanting to go there for some time. The online booking is a bit of nightmare as you can't change reservations online once made and you also have to phone to confirm two days in advance; you'll be far better phoning up anyway as the staff were polite, helpful and sorted things out quickly and without any fuss.

I arrived with a slightly inapproriately dressed date (acres of very tanned legs, cleavage, spiky heels and masses of long blonde hair) who looked rather more like she was off for a night of clubbing than dinner, but was still treated as a valued guest – although the male staff did stare a bit too much and I thought the doorman's eyes may pop out! The only real downsides to the service were the slight distain we got on asking for the vegetables (red cabbage, caramelised apple & blackcurrant jus – which was yummy) from one dish as a side order with another which seemed to be a real problem and we were definitely made to feel like it was and we also had to ask twice for the cocktail menu, otherwise a smooth experience.

Food is excellent, amongst the best anywhere in London, and miles better than some Michelin starred venues – we both ate Breast of corn-fed chicken, fresh peas, girolles & Alsace bacon which was simple but extremly well presented and tasted great. Desserts were Toasted hazelnut parfait, lime confiture and Soufflé of apricot, dark chocolate sorbet; the Soufflé was a recommendation from the waiter and whilst my date admitted she wouldn't have ordered it herself she loved it and I can confirm that it was delicious having had a couple of spoonfuls.

The room is stunning, all be it that we were sat under the mezzanine so didn't get the full effect, but needs a few less tables packed in as you do feel like you are sharing with the next table down, which somewhat restricts conversation – unless you want them to know all about your day at work etc. Toilets are a slightly unusual experience being unisex and also scarily hot with doors that don't lock too well.

Value for money is reasonable; two courses, water, two glasses of an excellent Pinot Gris, a cocktail and a glass of champagne came to just over £110 – not cheap but certainly not out of bounds for the overall experience. I'll definitely be returning, but next time Clare may have to dress a bit more conservatively to stop the staff having a heart attack!

A friend- undeniably a gourmet and, it's fair to say, a gourmand- and I had lunch here last week. Having eaten at the Bistrot and at Windows, expectations were high, although tempered by a somewhat qualified review from another friend. I am pleased to say that we were not disappointed.

As its name indicates, Galvin La Chapelle is in a former chapel. One might think that this could mean a cold, echoing chamber missing only chanting monks. Not a bit of it- the restaurant is open, light and attractive, with a smaller mezzanine section that must have even better views of the space.

There was an impressively friendly welcome to the restaurant and the service started out as attentive without being overly obtrusive. Happily, it continued this way- perhaps the only quibble was that having our wine in closer reach would have been useful, but given the length of the meal (a leisurely two and a half hours), it was to the team's credit that we were not mercilessly topped up all the time.

The presentation of the food is something that restaurants sometimes view as a secondary matter. Not G la C- every course looked good on the plate and it felt almost wrong to dig in. Fear not, though, as we didn't hesitate for long and were rewarded for our alacrity.

The lasagne of Dorset crab lived up to the hype, with the mushroom veloute being smooth but not salty and providing a contrast in texture, as much as flavour, to the crab. In terms of presentation, though, even the lasagne was in second place to the pressed leeks and langoustines that my friend had. A cliche it may be to say that the food looked like “jewels on the plate”, but it was one that suited in this case. I was reliably informed that it tasted just as good, although I did not, alas, have the opportunity to verify this.

We both had veal as the main course, so there was no feel of the grass being greener. Again, this was excellent, with exceptionally smooth pommes mousseline to accompany it. The choice had not been an easy one- the menu, although not particularly long, is very strong- but it was a happy one.

When it came to pudding, the choice was somewhat easier- the array of cheeses had been impossible to miss. The only drawback here was that it was impossible to have all of them, although the sadness was tempered by being able to taste a range from smooth and mild up to very pungent.

Even at this stage of the meal, there was more to come- with coffee came some of the most delicious chocolate truffles either of us had ever tasted. That the kitchen was able to maintain standards even at this point of the meal was testament to the commitment of the brigade and the attention paid to the food.

The wine list kept pace with the food. There is a bewitching vertical of Hermitage La Chapelle; although it's well-priced for what it is, only bankers/private equity executives/hedge fund managers need apply. (As a random aside, much of the restaurant's custom is from lawyers.) Fortunately, there is an excellent variety of other wines and a very well-informed sommelier to assist the decision-making process.

So- did the restaurant meet expectations? No- it exceeded them. This is a great restaurant in a superb location, with delicious food, great wines and a staff, in the kitchen and front of house, that really cares. Please go there.

I had a fantastic diner at La Chapellle to celebrate my boyfriends birthday.

The setting an atmosphere are incredible – a truly wonderful place.

The food & wine was exceptional and the service was amongst the best I have experienced in London. The restaurant manager was charm personified and the entire team, from the ladies on the front and all the waiters /sommelier were fantastic. Their attention to detail was remarkable and I’m a real stickler for good service and hate it when it is bad (which it usually is)- so last night was such a pleasant change. The waiters were all over us in terms of service without ever really being noticed or interrupting- just how it should be.

I was quite surprised to read the mixed reviews for this much-acclaimed new opening for the Galvin brothers. I have always been a big fan of Galvin at Windows although I accept that it is, perhaps, not to everyone's taste. I guess its a marmite thing, in the fact that you either ‘love it or hate it’. I always find that the food at any Galvin establishment is always beautifully executed and so I struggle to digest people's reviews saying certain dishes at La Chapelle were unspecial, because simplicity is exactly what they do so very well. Having said that, often what we refer to as ‘simple’ is not always reflective of the labour involved in creating these perceived to be simple dishes.

There is no denying that La Chapelle is an absolutely stunning restaurant. It isn't trying to be trendy, it isn't trying to be glamourous, but it does have ‘old-world’ charm and an effortless sophistication that no matter how hard you try, cannot purposely be engineered these days. It is a comfortable style and elegance combined with faultless service and a smooth experience from start to finish that really makes these rare little gems so wonderful.

I chose the Dorset crab lasagne to start with that was a delicate tower of sweet crab meat bound with egg layered between fresh pasta sheets, nestled in a veloute of chanterelle mushrooms that was smooth and creamy and very moreish. For main course, I chose the absolute last thing I would EVER choose in a restaurant… CHICKEN. This is how much faith I have in the Galvins to deliver a good dish, because I almost always choose meat or fish in restaurants, heck even vegetarian mains over chicken… Supreme of Landaise chicken with an abundance of plump Morel mushrooms, vibrant green peas and aromatic crispy shards of fried Jambon cru – an incredible amalgamation of salty ham, sweet pea, succulently moist chicken breast with the luxurious flavour of those oh-so-special Morel mushrooms that perfume the light cream sauce.

Desserts are never my thing, but this still wouldn't deter me from ordering. I plump (stupidly) for the chilled chocolate fondant with banana yoghurt ice cream and 3 meteor-looking chunks of honeycomb and a nice glass of Chateau Monbazillac to accompany it. Needless to say I made the mistake of picking the richest dessert on the menu and only managed to finish half before settling back into my chair feeling like I had swallowed a pillow.

Overall, a very enjoyable meal and I will most definitely go back soon, perhaps when the summer menu kicks in, to see what lovely summery offerings they will have for us. If you are thinking of going to Galvin La Chapelle, I wouldn't listen to reviews, instead just have a look at their menu online and if you like the menu then you should go, because – what the Galvin brothers do, they seem to do very well indeed!

Having had a great experience at Bistrot de Luxe numerous times I was really looking forward to our dinner here but walked out disappointed.

The service was very slow and unattentive. I also didnt like that fact that they started cleaning the restaurant fairly early at around 11:15pm & that I could smell whatever it was they were spraying all over the place!

Bistrot de Luxe is the same quality of food but with more reasonable prices and much better service!

Having said that the building is stunning and does have the wow factor!

An uplifting interior, elegant, spacious and inviting. The design strikes a fine balance that allows for quiet conversation at your table while letting you show your best public face too. The wine list is an enjoyable read and our choice of a 2005 Rhone was a wonderful match for the Chateaubriand. Service was personable. A good choice for a relaxing and special evening.

This restaurant is wonderful, tucked away of the beaten streets its enternance is just as grand as its food. I went last Friday and was truly blown away by the quality of the food and the service.

The idea of having bistro deluxe next door is a masterstroke as we enjoyed cocktails the beforehand.

Excellent evening and I will be returning, the veal cooked 4 ways was amazing

What a find! My first time here was for lunch on a Thursday with my girlfriend. As soon as I walked into the restsuarant I could tell we were in for a treat, and we weren't i disappointed. A stunning venue for a restaurant and the way they have renovated the old building but kept plenty of great original features, is excellent.
The food was fantastic (lasagne of dorset crab, saddle of venison, blueberry soufle), as good as anything I have had in London for a long time, the wine was delicious (but not cheap) and the atmosphere was great, buzzy but not too noisy. The service was very good and friendly. I will definatly be going back, it's jusy a question of when.

I just cant say enough good things about this place. It will be winning the best restaurant 2010 without a doubt.
Just go and try and get a table in the far corner by the ‘giant carrots’ – this place is a utter experiance and the food is fantastic, Its a galvin venture and it is the same high quality you would expect from the team. The staff are just some of the best Ive ever come across as well.
Its a winner – just go you won't be disappointed. I've sent loads of clients here and they have all reported back just as I have said above.

Relaxing in the smart seats in La Chapelle – the more bistro-esque seating is at the Spital Square end of this eatery of two halves – I find myself trying to figure out what the conversion of this former girls school reminds me of. After conference with my host I decide that it wouldn't seem out of place if the great Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, was at the adjacent table with a starter course of the native and cumbrae oysters, so nostalgically reminciscent are the fronds of the plants, the clean lines of black, glass, chrome of the televised exploits of Monsieur P. Maybe this was enchanced by the bowler hatted gent at the front door and the trad clad waiting staff, who were numerous in number but like taxis on a wet winter's day were scarce in their availability. Essentially that is the only thing one could take issue with here, the service, which was pleasant enough but not attentive enough, particulalry for a lunching city crowd, who keep one eye on the blackberry whilst tucking into the wonderful food on offer. The food is certainly the star and in gazing down the menu, through Pumpkin Veloute and spiced pork belly on the starters I am presented with the best of dilemmas over choice, so appealing is the selection. Similar deliberation issues with the main courses; halibut with artichoke puree, tagine of squab pigeon and the witnessing of the Cote de bouef at the service hatch has me reaching for the diary to plan the next visit. Not wishing to be difficult but I enquire as to whether I can mix and match from the terrifically reasonable Prix Fixe menu (£24 for 3 courses) and am enabled to do so; selecting the Pumpkin and Parmesan soup and pair it with the Denham estate vensison from the a la carte. The soup is silky, flavoursome and offset with a nudge of balsamic which really hits the spot, and am pleasantly surpised to find small cubes of pumpkin lurking at the bottom of my bowl, which add some extra texture. My host opts for the PF in all its glory and assures me the game terrine is sumptious and is lovingly accompanied by the quince puree. This is followed up by the Braised veal cheeks, which looked sensational, and again this was affirmed. My venison was the best I had had for a long time, served medium, with a deeply intense braised red cabbage and a blackcurrant sauce that was fruity but without having dessert like qualities. And talking of afters, there is no let up in the difficulty of assessment; with pear tart tatin, rhum baba and chilled chocolate fondant all competing for a run out. New years resolutions on restricting the intake get put to one side and the Blueberry souffle with coulis and milk ice cream arrives, with obligatory ceremony of making an incision into the souffle and the warm coulis not so deftly handled by the waiter ends up 50:50 between plate and pud. Without doubt La Chapelle will be high on my list for entertaining in 2010, and hopefully beyond, as there is so much that appeals. You would do well to find better quality, and certainly in terms of the Prix Fixe better value for such quality, within the city and that alone is worth the extra hike up Bishopsgate when you to, like our continental sleuth wish to eat and drink which is ‘ a very pleasant thing’.

Had dinner here last night with a friend. Service was friendly and efficient although they are still learning the wine list.

We had:

Salad of red leg partridge with pomegranate and maple dressing £7.50
Lasagne of Dorset crab, chanterelles and chervil £11.50 – apparently this used to be a staple at the Bistrot de Luxe, but became too expensive. My friend welcomed its return.

Roast côte de boeuf, truffle macaroni and Hermitage jus (for two) £53.00. The truffle macaroni was an excellent match.

Chilled chocolate fondant, clementine marmalade £8.50 Blueberry soufflé, coulis and milk ice cream £8.50

I wasn't in charge of wine ordering, but the total bill was about £175 with one very pleasant bottle of red, a glass of white and two glasses of dessert wine (each dessert has a wine recommendation on the menu), plus coffee and some still water (some sort of purified house water at £1.50 as I forgot to order tap). This total included a default service charge of (I think) 12.5%.

The building is a welcome change from much of the City, being airy without new build ugliness. I would be interested to see how it works in daylight.

I will return, and imagine it would be a good date restaurant in the evening, although I suppose it might be a bit suity at lunch. But I will find out and report back.

At last a fine dining experience in the City!

The Potteresque building has been refurbished to a high standard and is stunningly beautiful with light pouring through the upper windows – a very pleasant change from most City restaurants which tend to be in basements.

The service was impeccable and combined with a real desire to assist; the food was wonderful, the slow cooked lamb was absolutely divine, the flavours were sublime and the portions suprisingly large. There was an excellent selection of wine by the glass and bottle; the sommelier was extremely helpful in recommending wines by the glass to match our food. All in all a wonderful experience to be repeated often!

The Galvin brothers have very successfully transplanted a little West End pizazz to the City.