Club Gascon

A true classic in the Michelin star world. The perfect place to come if you'd like to be wined and dined. We came here to celebrate thanksgiving during our latest trip across the pond. What is more fitting than having an 8+ course meal when you should be eating turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Needless to say we left even more full than if we had indulged in the typical manner. The ambience at Club Gascon is elevated chic. It is very simple yet exceptionally thought out. The food is exceptionally thought out - it's creative, innovative, complex and delicious. Highlights for me from the Christmas tasting menu we're the amuse bouches, the stuffed tulip, and the compressed cheese shortbread. The wine pairings were also extremely interesting and the sommelier was knowledgeable, friendly and provided great insight. Lastly, what really makes the dining experience here are the people. It is so obvious what care goes into selecting the team and we were blown away by their investment in ensuring our meal and experience was above expectations. Whether it was chatting about the origin of olive oil at a waitresses family farm in Italy or learning more about the wine selection process from an islanders perspective. We were blown away and will most definitely be back.

Celebrated Valentines Day w my hunny here and had the 5-course tasting menu sans alcool (I'm pregnant and he's on antibiotics). It was a true standout and made a clear case for its accolades.

Service from start to finish was warm, genuine, thorough and discreet. Highlights were overall presentation of dishes - colourful, varied plating, and varied actual physical dishes that flowed well w it's contents; variety of ingredients (beef, cod, duck, scallop, uni, king mushroom) that took you to different flavour profiles and landscapes that honoured the origin of the food; and the dining room which was sleek yet inviting and cosy - quite a balance to achieve.

Our favourite dishes were the smoked king mushroom with black truffle and potato pulp, and the beef cheeks. The first was coming off the plate with flavour and dimension and colour - it felt like we were eating from the tastiest forest floor - fresh and captivating. The second was just a brilliantly prepared piece of protein - we didn't even need the knife to take down that cheek, it just peeled away and if you let it sit on your tongue, it just dissolved, coating your mouth in its perfection. YUM.

This is not a casual drop in - it's v rich and though not uptight, it leans formal - so not sure when we will come by again but future special occasions will be considered!

A section of the menu purely dedicated to foie gras?! Yup! This actually is not posted on the menu online which I would have made me more excited in anticipation of dinner.
Their foie gras dishes were really wonderful. The burger was a slider size and had just the right proportions of everything in what I believe was a soft brioche bun. Simply delectable!
For those that that like quail but hate dealing with the effort of bones, the quail here is de-boned. Pleasantly smoky and served over embers, this was a delight for sight and scent.
Service was okay. I expect a bit more from a michelin starred restaurant. They did not explain the dishes at all or the types of butter offered. When the sommelier came to pour the wine, I would have expected he provided a taste before pouring the whole glass.

GRILLED DUCK AND GRAPES WITH FOIE GRAS

CLUB DUCK BURGER WITH FOIE AND BEETROOT KETCHUP

BBQ QUAIL ON EMBERS, SUMMER ROOTS & FRUITS, SPICY VIOLETS

SAUTEED KING SCALLOPS, CRACKLED CAPON WINGS, NUTS & LOVAGE

Outstanding experience, impeccable service, food, wine and ambiance.
Quintessential cuisine of Southwestern France with a personal, creative touch.
Splendid.

We were of to visit the famous Smithfield meat market and found this cute little french restaurant.
Let us to practice our french. Meals were very well priced. And the bread and butter was free and just as good.
We ordered the lamb which was fantastic. So tasty.
Service was excellent. Cute little place. had nice deco.

Club Gascon pride themselves for their innovative, modern take on the cuisine from the Gascogne region in the Southwest of France. In a reasonably formal atmosphere, the extremely attentive and mostly very charming staff make you feel welcome. You have the choice between one tasting menu, which changes every two to three months, and a reasonably small selection of á-la-carte options, interestingly enough with one section dedicated entirely to Foie Gras. The wine menu is extensive and very interesting, as it goes way beyond "the usual suspects" and does indeed consist of French wines only, with many from the wider Gascogne region.

Interesting is the operative word when it comes to the food as well - every dish is ambitious, with regards to exclusive or exotic ingredients, beautiful presentation or indeed bold combination of flavours. On some occasions, that boldness pays off, for instance when pairing papaya and pumpkin in a lovely, surprisingly rich purée. On other occasions they overshoot the target, as for instance in the combination of halibut and a very livery overpoweringly strong flavoured sauce civet. There is also a bit of a tendency to overload the plate with too many flavours, but at a price of £100 including a very interesting and educational wine flight (due to the lovely sommelier who was extremely well versed in her understanding of each single wine's background) it is worth accepting the odd glitch as some of the brighter moments make up for some of the..., well not shortfalls, actually rather the opposite, overloads.

There are some restaurants that you've dined at once and you remember it for a very long time (or even for your entire lifetime). Per Se and WD-50 in New York are two examples for me. Club Gascon in London is another. There are two things I remember from this restaurant, the beautiful ambiance (blue walls and my table looked straight into the prep area) and the interesting food. It was here at Club Gascon that I tasted my first sweetbread but more importantly, I was also exposed to unique pairing of ingredients (strawberries ice cream and basil). I guess you could say, this is where my love for foodie-ism really started.

I haven't been in years but I believe the food is equally fantastic and wonderful from start to finish. Maybe soon I will be able to go again. Until then, just good memories.

I must admit, the second to the last review here surprised me. Im convinced he must be talking about the wrong place, as this is NOT a place where you can wander in drunk and NOTHING on the menu is that cheap.

My boyfriend brought me here for some sort of deal or special he found. The experience left us both flabbergasted. Everything was perfect. The staff and service, albeit a bit pretentious, was impeccable. The presentation and food were stunning, and the wine was to die for. Easily out best meal in London--and yes, one of us has been to a Gordon Ramsey restaurant.

We were supposed to get a 3 course selection, but it turned into a generous 7 or 8 course tasting menu--and the portions for the 3 courses we ordered were larger than expected. We started with a selection of fresh breads and butters--and I melted over the foie gras butter--and the prestarter (something with potato and anchovy) then starter (he had quail with some sort of ice thing, I had fantastic clams and mussels). I enjoyed my entree of Fish of the Day, but we both liked his entree--a selection of fried stuffed pork with chorizo--better. Then came a pre-dessert of red berries with a small sponge cake, then dessert (I had a powerful chocolate cigar with a coffee ice thing, he had passionfruit creme), and finally perfect chocolate truffles to finish it off.

Overall, simply perfection.

Great service, although my understanding of English with a strong French accent was so poor that I struggled to understand what the waiters were saying (completely my fault, not theirs!). Got the lunch special - 2 courses for £29 - fantastic value. Got the duck tartare for starter and roast guinea foul which was delicious. Also received a lovely pre starter and Petit fours. Highly recommend.

This was an interesting place to wander into a little sloshed on a Friday night. We were searching for some food to line the stomach before a couple hours of shots and karaoke. The lights of this place drew us in and I was surpised at the upscale frenchness of it all. Even the waitstaff had strong Gascony accents which made both ordering and comprehending hard on both sides.

That being said, we managed to secure a selection of items from the menu and even a few drinks. The food was delicious! A duck pie bursting with flavour although lacking a bit in variety of textures. Smoky Toulouse sausage with a rich bite. Thickly sliced spicy chorizo which was tasty and would have been more so with a slight browning. My favourite was a slow cooked meat dish (for the life of me I can't remember if it was pork or beef) with stewed lentils served in a large marrow bone. Excellent presentation, delightful flavours, and overall a great experience.

Given the style and relatively low prices (each dish was £3.50-5), I shouldn't have been surprised at the small portions. Basically, if you are hungry, give this place a miss in the evening as the main food is predominantly for lunch or perhaps an early dinner. Or you could always do what we did - enjoy the fine dining...then go to Mickey D's to silence your growling stomach.