Club Gascon

Great food, beautifully presented.
£28 for 3 course dinner menu was good value for money.
Shame about the fire alarm going off mid meal!

The food is excellent and has a style unique in London. Unfortunately the premises are a bit dull.

Hidden among the unassuming foodie mecca of Smithfields, Farringdon, we arrived expecting a certain culinary standard and sure enough Club Gascon held such gastronomic distinction at its heart; indeed it talks of a certain love of food. Heralding from Southwest France, this established favourite is part of chef Pascal Aussignac’s small empire of similarly themed restaurants, this clearly the jewel among them.
On arrival our welcome was warm without the expected aloofness and whilst suitably decadent the atmosphere did leave us with a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’. It was missing the grandiose we anticipated of a Michelin star setting.
Our Chef’s taster menu began wit perfection h a series of punchy snapshots of flavour setting the scene for what would become an artistic display of kitchen chemistry. A delicate sea urchin sauce balanced well with simple cauliflower pulp and crisps. Foie Gras, a staple of the menu, was then combined intelligently with gingerbread and fir tree marmalade. The accompanying dessert wine, Domaine Rotier, Renassaince 2006, accentuated the dish still further. The sweeter notes a welcome foray mid-way through the meal and achieved with a certain calm confidence. The braised ox cheek, amalgamated with creamy avocado, was offset impeccably with zingy citrus and salty anchovy – again a technical delivery.
Mademoiselle Gluckman, enjoyed a vegetarian take on things with the kitchen remaining surprisingly accommodating considering its carnivorous French custom. Her braised artichoke came formulated to a level of quality we had at that point come to expect and again the escorting wine, she tells me, was passionately positioned by our sommelier in such a way it was always going to marry well.
Each dish also brought with it an entirely bespoke set of cutlery – pretty good going considering there were seven courses. In fact we were armed with a range of cutlery so vast we could have recreated the Battle of Agincourt with ease, something I chose not to suggest at the time.

My friend and I recently visited the restaurant and I have to say the food and wine was excellent, to be honest it was far better than we had been lead to believe. We selected the tasting menu with matching wines for £85 which we felt was very reasonable considering the high quality. The service was just as we like, swift but not aggressive and the staff were very polite. The only downside which in truth has prompted me to write this review was the very unexpected and poor behaviour we witnessed from the sommelier who appeared to be somewhat intoxicated. He actually shouted at members of staff from very near to our table. This we found cringingly embarrassing and certainly not what is expected from such a renowned establishment at Club Gascon . I hope this is not a regular occurrence and may I suggest he is taken to task over his very poor behavior towards his colleagues, especially in front of diners.

The most recent dinner was a party of 8 for a birthday.

We were sat quickly at our table and found the staff to be courteous and tentive. The restaurnat is small but not in a cramped way and was not noisy.

The food was a mixture of what one might call hits and misses. That is not to say that the food was bad but rather the restaurant seeks to hit certain heights. The foie gras is superb and definitely one to try. On the flip side, my pheasant was rather tough and was accompanied by a macaroon – which is sweet as a desert let alone a main course. Throw in some sweet vegatable puree and you start to wonder which course you were eating. Desert was very tasty indeed.

In additon, they were more than accomodating with dietary requirements for one of our group.

At the end of the night it was a case of mixed feelings for all. For the cost, you want a feeling of must come back but on this occassion it was one of seeing the potential without quite getting there.

We've eaten at Club Gascon every 6-9 months for many years. The main reason we don't come more often is usually the lack of an available table !

The dining room itself is relatively small with a high ceiling, with luxurious but understated décor and furnishing. They usually have impressive cut flower displays !

The staff are always attentive, professional and friendly. The sommelier in particular being knowledgeable and helpful, and the maitre'd always engaging and friendly. A complete contrast to the “attitude” that can sometimes be encountered in high end French restaurants, especially in France. Despite this, the atmosphere can sometimes still be a little too hushed and formal for my taste.

Meals have included some fantastic foie gras, venison and partridge. Beautifully cooked and presented, with wonderful taste and flavour. A sophisticated mix of the traditional and the innovative. Also, dishes are often surprisingly light given the very rich ingredients. Portions are small, but having 3 pre dessert courses is sufficient for all but the very biggest appetites.

The set taster menu with a glass of wine matching each course can be recommended. Very good and sometimes unusual pairings with the food, and you'll certainly feel merry by the end !

We tend to pay £100-£110 for 2 for the pre-dessert courses (normally 3 rather than 2), inc service ex all drinks. Total bills tend to be £250-£300 for 2 depending upon wine. Given the quality and service we regard this as very good value.

A great place for sophisticated and refined Gascon / Perigord food, served by very professional friendly staff. Strongly recommended.

I met a friend for lunch here and I have to say it was a lovely surprise. The restaurant is small and cosy and the staff are very attentive. We had the set lunch (three choices on each course) and apart from pudding we had the same. We had the duck fois gras which was served as a “rose” on the plate looking and tasting delicious as were the bread and the two different kinds of butter (the roasted salt butter was heavenly). It took a little while to bring the bread and our waiter clearly lost patience with his colleague and fetched it himself. We were offered more bread but a little late as we had finished our starter. Main course was roasted sturgeon presented with samphire and a few veg. It was a small portion but enough when having three courses. The sommelier was knowledgeable about the wines and clearly felt our choice went well with the food – our glasses were kept refilled seamlessly and neither of us got to an empty wine or water glass till we had finished. Pudding as a treat – my friend had the pear which was delicious and I (who very rarely have pudding) had a coffee and armagnac granita with a chocolate cigar which was out of this world. I would seriously recommend this as it looked and tasted fun and delicious. Our coffee and fresh mint tea was accompanied by chocolates with handmade honeycomb forming the “basket” – which we ate (sorry guys!)

The restaurant isn't cheap by any means but the service is attentive and the food shows both flavour and presentational flair – the chef is certainly talented.

The restaurant was clearly one where people who work in the area go for lunch (judging by the black and grey suits) and we were asked whether we had a time when we needed to go or whether we would like a leisurely lunch (so the 2 hours were at our request!) . When we got up to leave the maitre d' was standing at the door with our coats and helped us on with them chatting and making us feel like old friends rather than first time customers.

Would recommend for a special lunch or dinner.

My brother tells everyone that Club Gascon serves the best foie gras in London and he might be right but I don’t think that you should go on that basis alone.
I have had two dinners at CG, one for my birthday and we all had the seasonal menu which included 1 glass of wine with each of the 7 courses and once of Valentines Night when my partner and I ate in the Cloisters of Saint Bartholomew behind the restaurant which dates back to 1123, that was pretty cool.
The dining room is formal rather than relaxed and I would go here on a special occasion rather than because I wanted French food. There is a CG wine bar next door and a CG Deli on the other side of Smithfield market which should mean I guess a CG fast food foie gras van parked up nearby sometime soon. I can't say I much like the idea of a foie burger but I know someone who would.

This was my first vist to Club Gascon but one had had intended to make for some time. The welcome was very civilised but we would have liked to have had an aperitif before being led to our table if it had been possible. We did not enjoy the rose champange that was suggested but it was changed for another champagne without fuss.

The service was excellent. The sommelier was unpretentious and helpful. In fact all the staff (of which there were many) were natural and attentive. We liked the decor. The room was well ventilated with high celings and furnished in a simple but classy way. The first course (a hot foie gras with grapes) was perfectly cooked and served in an innovative and modern way. My friend chose the lobster main dish with black pudding and asparagus and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was unusual in both it's conception and presentation. I chose the king scallop dish with seafood and samphire with a lobster consomme. It was light, clean and very savoury. As we had eaten lunch, in the Brindisa tapas bar, we did not partake in a dessert.

I chose this restaurant as a special birthday treat for my friend. It transpired to be an excellent choice and our experience matched the reviews that I had read beforehand. The style of cooking suited us very well as it was light, but modern and sophisticated and of course, French. Perhaps clients that expect quantity as well as quality would prefer somewhere like Fergus Hendersons' St Johns. Perhaps my most important comment would be in answer to would I like to re-visit? The answer would certainly be ‘Yes’!

Just to put this into context. I have not been up to London much of late. Especially since my husband died 5 years ago. We regularly followed Marco P W from Harveys onwards, visited Le Gavroche, Ramsey and the OXO restaurant to name a few in the city. I therefore hope that my limited comments will be of use to someone.

Iona Evans, Holywell, North Wales