Club Gascon *

57 West Smithfield, London, EC1A 9DS


A friend mentioned a great August lunchtime deal at Club Gascon, so we decided to take advantage of it before it expired.

Club Gascon exterior

I arrived, I was warmly greeted and shown to my seat. The restaurant was quite small with tables running on either side and down the center of the room, with the bar at the end. It was simply decorated with muted colours and lots of natural light.

Club Gascon interior

Beautiful tableware

Whilst we decided what to eat, we were given some cheese sticks to whet our appetite. They were delicious, salty with a strong cheese flavour and very crisp. We were also offered a selection of warm breads which was served with two types of butter: a foie gras chantilly butter and a sea salt butter. Both were lovely.

Cheese crips

Sea salt butter (left) and foie gras chantilly butter (right)

My friend ordered the glazed quail for starter which came with frosted lillet foam and olives. When trying the dish, I didn't expect it to be cold (despite the word 'frosted' in the menu) but it was a pleasant surprise and otherwise very refreshing.

Glazed quail, frosted lillet and aromatic olives

For the starter, I decided to have the clams and mussels eclade with oyster chantilly which was served on tray of smoking pine needles with samphire, deep fried parsley and pieces of toast with the oyster chantilly butter. The dish was beautifully presented and definately had a wow factor when it came out. The smokeyness came through strongly in the seafood, especially at the beginning, and the accompanying toast was a nice texture but not much taste except for the butter which made it really scrummy as it started to melt. Overall, a lovely dish.

Clams and mussels eclade, oyster chantilly

For the main, I opted for the vegetarin option of watercress qinoa "risotto", garden moss and crosnes. The dish was nice and the garden moss had a very unique texture, like a sponge, but a tasty one!

Watercress quinoa "risotto", garden moss and crosnes

My friend went for the pork with fennel salad and squid-choritzo chutney. The pork served was cooked two different ways; one was simply pan fried and the other was deep fried and stuffed. It was beautifully tender, though a little pink for my liking.

Old spot pork variation, fennel salad and squid-chorizo chutney

After the main, we were given a complimentary pre-dessert of Bordeaux cannele with a summer fruit sauce. The cannele was chewy and sweet from the caramelised outside of the pastry but softened by the sharpness of the fruit sauce.

Cannele with summer fruit reduction

My friend had the miniature meringues with lemon posset and passion fruit for dessert. I'm not a big fan of desserts in general, but this was really delicious. Actually, I regretted not getting it myself.

Honey meringues, lemon posset and passion fruit

I opted for the chocolate 'cigar' which came with a coffee and armangnac granite. The way it was presented was amusing and the chocolate was very smooth and rich. The granite was chilled and tasted ok, though I found it difficult to drink without simultaneously swallowing large pieces of ice.

Coffee and armagnac granite, milky almond and smoked chocolate cigar

As we finished the meal, we were served the petit fours, a selection of sweets including chocolate raisins, fruit jellies, spiced almonds, truffles and wafer caramel. All scrumptious! Even though we were both stuffed, we managed to finish the lot.

Petit fours

Overall, I had a really lovely time and at £22 per person for the chef special, it was a bargain! The service was very good, attentive and friendly without the aloofness one might expect from a michelin starred restaurant. The food was lovely, beautifully presented and wonderfully innovative. Even without the special August price, I would still revisit.

Atmosphere: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Recommend?  Yes