Gauthier Soho

Innovative and excellent French food

I have been several times for lunch and found it excellent in all respects. Food is well cooked and interesting. The amuse bouche is often something relatively simple but with a twist ( such as kentish carrot with crisp chicken skin) which sets the scene for what is to come. I have enjoyed every single dish I have eaten at Gauthier and the Foie Gras and Rhubarb in white chocolate are two of the best dishes I have eaten in London. Portion size is well defined ( you can see the calories for each dish) and you come away feeling fully satisfied. The sommeliers are pleasant and authorative and if you choose the wine pairings you won't be disappointed despite the modest price.
I think this is a restaurant which deserves 3 Square Meal stars when compared with others that have this accolade that I have experienced and the value for money is unbeatable. I am looking forward to to trying it for dinner soon!

A lovely setting within this soho townhouse mang for a quite intimate dinning experience. The food is not to be faulted either if only for not being neccessarily trendsetting and overwhelming (but delivering you consistent high quality). The only let-down (experienced on two separate occasions so I can't take it as a one off) is the service which I experienced to be sub-standard. The layout of the place might not help (ie they have to run up and down the stairs) but I was left waiting for courses and service way beyond what would be acceptable in a place like this. A shame as it otherwise could be one of the top soho dinner destinations

Not vegetarian only (as it is listed here) and not even vegetarian friendly. His vegetable menu, which looks vegetarian, often includes dishes cooked in meat juices (see several articles to this effect on the net, try WSJ. If you don't make that clear on the menu (as he doesn't) that's about as unfriendly to vegetarians as you can get.

We eat out a lot, at good restaurants, in London, and Gauthier is the best, really, the best. If you haven't tried it then do. If money is a budget then try the set lunch menu, and go from there. Almost don't want to write this review because I always want to get a table there, but, they really deserve a wonderful review, we've been so many times. And Chef Alexis Gauthier has the most talented Sommelier, Roberto Della Pietra, with such reasonably priced knowledge, a joy! Enjoy. (We sound like we are in the ‘business’, but we really are not, can't exactly give out our phone number to prove the point, just see for yourself).

It is rather like visiting someone's house where you have to ring the bell to enter, dine in their sitting room and come across their secret liking for camp art in the loos, all of which I found somewhat pretentious and rather odd. Service was chaotic and every waiter seemed to wait on every table without communicating with each other about what stage of the meal the guests were at. This meant that we were served our first three courses within an hour, then had to wait an hour for the fourth course and then, having waited 45 minutes after our pudding plates had been cleared away for someone to offer us tea or coffee (which they never did), I got bored and asked for the bill. Some of the food such as the lamb and the truffle risotto was very good and tasty. However, some of the food was at best luke warm, the scallops were tasteless and the mango pudding was akin to mango puree made for a baby with a coconut ice-cream bomb you could buy in the supermarket. The saving grace and real asset of this restaurant is the sommelier. We asked him to suggest a wine for each dish and not only did he came up trumps, I would go as far as to say that he rescued many of the dishes from being complete disasters. One surprising and very positive thing about the restaurant is the cost; 5 courses plus wines to match each dish and including service was about £100 per head. To be perfectly honest, Mr Gauthier has always been one of my culinary heroes, I know he has an abundance of talent but it just has not come out to shine in this restaurant yet. I really do hope that the issues I came up against are simply teething problems and Mr Gauthier shows Soho what he is really capable of very soon.

distinctly underwhelmed…

menu confusing and the method of ordering seemed chaotic…

staff a mixture of french arrogance and indifference… no one looked happy to be working there…staff looked stressed…

food was over complex, portions too small, and courses were either cold or in the case of the risotto too hot (seemed microwave hot)

service was poor and slow…used plates not cleared swiftly enough… suggest you do not take larger parties if you can't cope

ordered Desert Wine, not chilled…

Gaulthier is discretely located in a characterful townhouse, in a surprisingly quiet Soho side street. The downstairs dining room is small and intimate, and has been simply updated and modernised.

Our small taster portions were innovative and interesting variants on traditional French cuisine – very refined and surprisingly light, with delicate flavours. Everything was beautifully presented. Our fois gras fondant and seabass / squid dishes were extremely good. Tasty, but very subtle. Our piglet was less appealing, and in comparison with the other dishes was rather bland. Dessert was very enjoyable. The cheese was good, but not great – I'm afraid I'm a big fan of the big cheese board. Overall, a good hit rate. We received good explanations of each dish as they were served.

Service was efficient and friendly, and there were certainly lots of staff around, especially given the limited space ! We were particularly impressed with the sommelier, who was extremely helpful and informative. His choices were interesting, but most importantly (all but one) were delicious and superbly matched with the food.

Four taster dishes (to be equivalent to a starter + main) will be circa £110 for 2, inc service. Worth trying the tasting menu at c£65 pp. With suitable drinks, expect a total of c£250+. Seems fair value given the quality.

A good choice for a sophisticated and modern take on classic French food, with nicely professional but not over formal service. Recommended. We will return to try some different dishes.

A fantastic little place which is big on quality and value for money. The ability to mix the menu and courses to suit every budget should increase the level of customers who may shy away from the more expensive Michelin starred restaurants.

I felt the food was exceptional and the attention to detail the same. However my only complaint was the appearance of too many staff who were unaware of their roles. At points there seemed to be staff just standing waiting to be told what to do from the maitre d. Whilst looking to more superior house staff may be expected, to look so at a loss to your task is worrying from such a standard of establishment.

Overall would certainly return and would look forward to it.

Delightful restaurant, I have been several times and the service and food have always excelled. The pre-theatre menu is exceptional value for money and is a good sampler of Gauthier food. The tasting menu is delightful, the presentation and food and the service is everything that you want in a restaurant.

At Gauthier, they make great service, food and wine look easy. Staff worry for you and make your evening an elegant and fun experience.