Gauthier Soho

Hubby and I came here with a gift voucher, and what a lovely gift it was!
We had the 3-​course lunch menu with wine. The service is great and the restaurant is intimate and comfortable. Our starters and mains were paired very well with wine recommendations, all very nicely and thoroughly explained to us. The food was very good, but it is hard to say any specific tips or recommendations. Hubby and I had different choices, and we each liked ours, so I’d say it’s safe to go with whatever catches your eye! The portions are surprisingly generous and the food does fill you up, unlike some other French restaurants I’ve been to.
Though their dark chocolate tart sounded incredibly enticing, I went with a blood orange sorbet because it sounded like a light option after a fairly heavy meal. I’m so glad I went with that option because it was delicious! There were even surprise breadcrumbs that were light and perfectly sprinkled throughout the dish.
Good place to go for a special occasion or if you’re craving some fine French food!

Absolutely beautiful restaurant where nothing is too much trouble. While this restaurant does offer meat options, this would be the perfect place to dine if you’re vegetarian too. They do gorgeous veggie dishes, which aren’t just your usual ‘pasta’ fare. They get creative with flavors and ingredients, the staff are incredibly well versed in the menu options and are always more than happy to help in any way they can. They offer a private dining room upstairs, but even the main dining room is very chilled out and great for catching up with friends or a romantic date.

Gauthier Soho was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. From the moment we walked in, my husband and I were greeted with the highest level of service. We were shown our table and given the menu of aperitifs. We had a drink and were brought an amuse bouche of different canapes (asparagus, beet root, and salmon) — all were great.
We chose the 8-​course tasting menu with sommelier’s wine pairing for each course. I have to say it is extremely rare to see a vegetarian option on a tasting menu or even a prix-​fixe menu, so it was great that I could get the veggie option while my husband got the meaty counterpart. Every course was amazing; the best for me were the truffle risotto, the wild asparagus with quail eggs, and of course the epic chocolate dessert.
After 8 full glasses of wine and an amazing dinner, we were very satisfied. We are looking forward to returning the next time we are in London. Well worth the wait and price.

Every time we come to London we book Gauthier for lunch. In fact, this visit we are going twice in two days! Greedy maybe, but the food, service and value for money (especially lunch) are remarkable. I am not a fan of lamb, and would never choose it on a menu, but the mint-​rubbed lamb on the tasting menu was absolutely amazing. This is the restaurant I judge others by as I have never been disappointed with any aspect of the experience. Thoroughly recommend the lunch tasting menu — £40 for five stellar courses and a glass of champagne.

Hmmm. For the kind of money we paid, was expecting a lot more. It was a nice evening, and it wasn’t «bad».
First, the much vaunted service. Yes, there are heaps of waiters, but they’ve got this old-​fashioned French restaurant hierarchical thing going on, where e.g. the bread and water boys do only that, the sommelier is the only person you can speak to about your wine, or touch your wine bottle… when this works, great, but the evening we went they were tieing themselves in knots a little and the whole service was uncoordinated. E.g. aperitifs coming up after the first course; wine being delayed; the second course being served about 30 seconds after my wife left for the bathroom; signalling to various waiting staff numerous times before the appropriate person could be summoned. This is BS guys, if you run your service like this, you need to be all over these kind of things.
The food: one *outstanding* dish (aspagus eel broth thing, properly blow-​away cooking), the rest forgetable (and, actually, given this meal was a few weeks ago, I’ve actually forgotten the rest of the meal, goes to show!).
As a result, we were not particularly impressed. If you’re going to blow £75+ per person on a meal, it needs to be great all round, and this wasn’t. Sorry!

Excellent unique dining experience in Soho. Service was spectacular. Risotto was off the chars, as were the chocolate deserts. For the main courses, the lamb and the halibut were incredible. I would definite give this restaurant a try.

A lovely treat for a special occasion. Having walked past frequently I finally got to try it out at our team christmas meal in the private dining room. The cosy setting put a smile on my face as soon as we walked into the pretty townhouse, and were ushered through the first door on the right to find two beautifully laid tables and a roaring fireplace just for the 16 of us :)
The food was deliciously tasty though beware the portion size isn’t very generous. The Christmas group menu had afforded us 3 choices per course which we’d had to pre-​order and I was smugly happy with what I went for. Scallops teamed interestingly with pear to start and a roasted guinea fowl main, followed by a cheese course (auto extra star — I’m a sucker for a good cheese plate) and traditional xmas pud (which it seems nobody in the entire world seems to like anymore except for me!).
The main selling point though was the service and the little touches. Our waiters were extremely attentive in refilling wine, water and bread, and moved around unobtrusively in what was a fairly cosy space. I loved that we had personalised menus to mark our places printed with the courses we’d chosen, so the staff knew exactly which course to deliver to whom. Well, at least until my boss decided to shuffle every other person around after main course which completely confused them for dessert but hey ho!
I’m sure we were a very loud party and I can also only apologise to the lovely waiters for what they may have witnessed during our secret santa present opening session, which err may or may not have involved onesies and edible underwear… hmm enough said I think. True professionals!

The place only has about 7 tables so it’s pretty intimate, plus they have real fireplace so it’s very romantic! two thumbs up for a date night. We went for 4 plats and there were compliments of macarons & parmesan flakes as apperitif. Also a compliment, they served us with some scallop paté :)
My most recommended was the black truffle risotto – really delish! Their foie gras was to die for! I had the venison as well which was a generous serving for me.
All in all, great experience dining here! It’s worth the price. Service was amazing and they gave us a free macaron in a nice box to go!

I absolutely loved the cozy ambiance and the quality of the food. As for dessert, their little macaroons were THE best I have ever had. Only downside — they were out of a few menu options when we went, which was a little disappointing.

If I had to use one word to sum up this restaurant it would be… DIVINE. I had the 8 course tasting menu and every course was absolutely delicious, flavours I’d not experienced before. and all were… DIVINE.
I’m lacking articulation on this one and beginning to salivate just thinking about the food! So I’m going to leave it there but needless to say I’ll be recommending this restaurant! :)

This is a true gem. Tucked away in a gorgeous townhouse just around the corner from the buzz of Soho and Leicester Square, it is a little oasis.
The cooking is beautiful. I went recently for lunch, which I would highly recommend: you get a beautifully balanced cuisine for a fraction of what you’d normally pay in the evenings. One of my favourites in the area!

My favourite restaurant ever. I went here in June when I was back home in the uk as I missed it so much and again the food is just outstanding. The chickpea chips are wonderful. The sommeliers here are the best so knowledgeable and friendly. The Georgian townhouse it’s in is just wonderful. Some of the best food I’ve had in my life and I’ve eaten at a fair few Michelin star restaurants. Cannot wait to return early next year!!!

Love this place. Firstly, it looked like I was visiting my friends apartment for a sit down dinner. I like that it is very intimate and cozy. The servers were very pleasant and attentive. The food was very delish. Can’t wait to go back again.

I’m convinced that Gauthier is one of the best French restaurants I’ve ever been to.
From ringing the doorbell to be let in, to the mouthwatering risotto with fresh sliced black truffle, this place is simply perfect.
The service was excellent however the waiter was somewhat slow at pouring our wine, which was set down at another table. Also, the atmosphere is a bit foofy but don’t let that stop you from coming here to eat one of your best meals!

Gauthier was a very enjoyable meal — I found that the service was attentive from the get-​go (we were never left waiting or wanting; the time between courses was perfect), the food beautifully executed, and the entire dining experience to be a bit more intimate (in a good way!) than the typical Michelin star venue.
A number of reviews below already highlight the culinary items on the Tasting Menu, so in lieu of providing another summary, I thought best to describe why Gauthier gets a 4* instead of a 5* from me. And that rationale falls under two main categories:
1/​Apart from the signature «stars of the show», the rest of the menu is delicious but not particularly memorable. The Black Truffle Risotto was sublime. Really, really tasty; I would rank it among the top dishes that I have ever had in a restaurant. Almost as good was the Louis XV chocolate praline dessert: light, rich, crunchy, and decadent. But failing these clear highlights, I struggle to remember other items from the menu. Obviously, I could look these up quite easily — but I find that the mark of an incredible meal is the tastes, smells, textures linger with you for weeks and months after eating.
2/​Wine Pairings were a disappointment, especially if (like me) you went for the full 8 glass option. While there were a couple of enjoyable surprises (a rich, spicy Uruguayan Red with the Venison plat principal) — I found most selections to not be terribly interesting. The most egregious example of this was a glass of NV Dow’s Tawny to go with the cheeses. Not that I didn’t enjoy the Port. I just expect a bit more creativity out of the sommelier.

Firstly, the service is exceptional. We had such a fantastic evening and a lot of this was down to the service we had from the staff. Our somelier (who’s name I did manage to get) was amazingly knowledgeable. We came with a group of 5 and were given a small private room which worked out great as we were so loud :)
We ordered the tasting menu with the 4 glasses of pairing wine (there was an option for 8 glasses but thought that was perhaps too many). Food-​wise, it was very good without being exceptional. But the menu overall worked really well together. My favourite was the pork belly — which was so beautifully soft and succulent with a crispy skin… delicious!
I’m not sure about their choice for crockery though — it seemed very dated.
But will definitely go back.

The whole concept of having to ring a doorbell to be let in is a bit cheezy, but I absolutely love everything else about Gauthier. In my opinion, it’s some of the best and most affordable Michelin dining in the city… I’ve come here so often that the staff recognise me which is a bit embarrassing! It’s a great option for vegetarians because Alexis Gauthier places a large focus on perfecting vegetables in his dishes/​cooking.
They always start you off with a selection of canapés — stand-​outs include parmesan twists with ‘guacamole’, beetroot macarons. I also recall I really enjoyed my amuse bouche of chicken liver terrine on one occasion — very classical French cooking! The selection of bread is EXTENSIVE — raisin, bacon/​onion, walnut, baguette, sundried tomatoes, sourdough, rye etc — and seriously good. It’s even better when it’s fresh out of the oven.
For starters, the pan fried foie gras is to die for. It’s rich, heavy, ridicuously filling, but if you like foie gras it’s a must try. The risottos are also delicious though filling — I’ve tried black truffle, beetroot and chanterelle mushroom ones before — three separate dishes don’t worry — not all mixed together! They’re sizeable portions but delicious.
My favourite main course of all time has to be the Barbary duck breast with carrots and honey glaze. It sounds simple, but my goodness, I think it’s the best duck I’ve ever eaten. The sous-​vide halibut is also stunning — so flaky and soft.
Gauthier is known for the Louis XV tart from his days with Alain Ducasse. I’ve never had the opportunity to try the original one, but this one is pure chocolate/​hazelnut heaven. There’s praline inside, mousse, dark chocolate, different layers (5 if i I counted correctly)…yum. The mille-​feuilles are also delicious — the puff pastry is perfect! The marshmallows, mini lemon tarts and truffles served as petit fours are fabulous as well.
Every time I’ve been to Gauthier I’ve easily spent 3 hours in the dining room. It’s very romantic in the evening, perfect for dates or special occasions. Service is impeccable, and there’s free filtered still and sparkling water! It definitely achieves the vibe of being invited into someone’s home for a meal — you’ll be well taken care of at Gauthier.

Better late than never!
I had booked to take my sister her for her birthday over a year ago but on that day, our celebratory meal was thwarted by the snow, which turned my usual 40 minute drive home into a 6 hour nightmare. Anyway, we finally made it to Gauthier Soho over a year late!
Alexis Gauthier is a familiar face and name to fans of MasterChef where he has shared his cooking skill, using intuition and instinct to contestants on the show. Incredibly, there are no measuring or timing devices in his kitchen
He opened his eponymous restaurant in a Regnency townhouse in Soho in 2010 and is already the holder of one Michelin star. Amusingly, just like a real house, you have to ring a doorbell to be admitted into the restaurant
Fortunately, the welcome was warm as we were ushered into the downstairs dining room — the restaurant does retain its of air of being a house but with the unfussy friendliness of the staff, it did make for a relaxed dining atmosphere, which is my preference
My sister and I settled on the tasting menu but substituting one of our main courses for the wagyu beef — my sister had never tried it and I wanted to introduce her to it. We had a nice plate of canapes to nibble on while perusing the menu. We were also impressed that the sommelier was genuinely helpful in homing in on exactly what my sister would like and there was no upselling. Tap water was offered without prompting
1. Yuzu & miso curd, seafood fricasee & smoked broth
The dishes arrived dramatically at the table under domed covers, which were whipped off to release a puff of smoke and the broth was then poured onto the curd and fricasee. Interesting idea of the citrus yuzu offsetting the perfectly cooked seafood. However, I think the dish needed a little balancing with more citrus required to combat the umami hit of the broth
2. Foie gras, apple & crisp artichokes, red shallots & sweet vinegar port reduction
I love foie gras and hence I loved this dish. The accompaniments served to cut through the rich foie gras encased in a lovely crispy shell
3. Morel risotto, veal jus & parmesan
Simple dish but delicious and the morels died in a good cause!
4. Red mullet & langoustine, fennel, confit tomato & Meyer lemon jalapeño-​lime juice
The langoustine was probably my favourite ingredient of the night — sweet and juicy
5. Welsh lamb — braised shoulder & pink cannon, pommes fondantes & Swiss chard
Wonderfully pink lamb skilfully cooked
6. Substitute main course of Wagyu beef, round fries & larded carrots & onions
The beef was amazingly tender as hoped for though it wasn’t the best wagyu dish I’ve tasted but I’ve been extraordinarily blessed to have eaten at some amazing 3 star restaurants
7. Selection of unpasteurised French cheeses
These arrived with biscuits and accompaniments
8. Exotic fruits, caramelised pineapple & mango sorbet
Probably the weakest dish on the menu where the fruits weren’t that exotic for 2012 though it did cleanse the palate
9. Golden Louis XV, praline soufflé
This was actually 2 desserts in 1 dish. We got a mini soufflé which was lovely and light. The Golden Louis XV was a chocolate dessert — wafer interior with a wonderful layer of decadently rich chocolate, which was much lighter than it looked. The Louis XV was topped with gold leaf, which pleased my CTG (Chinese Thrift Gene) in making me feel like I was getting value for menu but I’m not sure about the point of gold leaf besides perhaps resurfacing any gold crowns you might have. It doesn’t actually taste of anything
My sister and I had a great evening here as well as a top notch meal. Leaving the restaurant felt like leaving a high class dinner party, which reflects well on the ambiance created by the staff at Gauthier

I’m in a tiny room; I looked around at the floor to ceiling stacks of alcohol around me. Yes, my table for dinner at Gauthier is in the wine room. This is what I get for only making reservations the day before I guess? I’m here to have a farewell dinner with one of my friends who finished her 3 months secondment in London and moving onto New York before finally returning to Sydney. It was while searching for a place to eat that I discovered that Gauthier currently have a 2 for 1 offer on their tasting menu. With an offer like this, no hesitation from the dinner party.
So back to the wine room, it was both cool and weird at the same time. Weird as we have the wait staff coming in regularly to pick up bottles of wine and we can hear the clinking of cutleries and dishes sent out from the kitchen.
We started with a tray of canapés.
The beetroot macaron was a mini flavour burst followed by crème fraiche wrapped in smoked salmon which was unmemorable.
Sticks of Parmesan Crostinis was dipped into a narrow glass holding a confit of onions and mustard. I couldn’t get enough of this; those sticks vanished quickly trying to mop up all that confit.
Foie Gras Royale
This got mixed results with the dinner party. I actually like it. You get the taste of the foie gras without it being overpowering. The broad beans cuts through the heaviness with the cherry and port granite adding sweetness. It could do with a bit more of the cherry and port granite though.
Scallop, parsley jus
The scallop was cooked perfectly and was great by itself. The accompaniments don’t enhance and in fact mutes the fresh and sweet taste of the scallop.
Summer Truffle Risotto
I tend to steer away from risottos as this tends to be cooked badly in a lot of places. Am happy to say that the risotto here is really good. It might be a touch too al dente but I don’t mind and in fact like that it gives a bit more texture. The truffles perfumes the air around you, this is one amazing risotto.
Wild Sea bass & Tiny Squid
It took nearly 30 minutes before our next course, the sea bass arrives. In fact, I was wondering when looking at it what the 30 minutes was for and after tasting it, the same thought still rings in my head.
Crispy & Soft Piglet
Wafer thin crackling that is light and crunchy, that was what I remembered most about the piglet course.
Selection of Unpasteurized French Cheeses
It is unusual when dessert takes up 3 courses of a tasting menu. We started of with three cheeses. Each were quite mild with the boldest being the blue cheese. Nothing too exciting.
Mini Chocolate fondant, Warm Soft Cherry
White Peach Soufflé, Champagne Sorbet
I wasn’t excited with any of the desserts. They were all good but not spectacular.
Gauthier does good solid French food and I would still recommend it. The risotto is really amazing but everything else I probably wouldn’t miss too much. It is incredible value with their current offer for the month of August only. Do jump and book it before it is over.

I really liked this place, I didn’t like the price tag ;))) We took the tasting menu at £68, with accompanying wines. Before that, we had had a kir with amuse bouche. The kinda chips with the avocado were delicious!!!
The tasting menu was well sized, small portions so that we could enjoy the whole menu without feeling atrociously sick afterwards. And that’s almost a first for me. Usually after such a menu, I feel happy but horribly over-​eating :D This was not the case this time.
The dishes I preferred in the menu were the truffle risotto with its brown butter & jus — just divine — and the Louis XV chocolate pud. God that was good! The sweets with the coffee were also nice: rose macaron, chocolate truf, almond cake… Overall, it was very high quality food. But simple cooking, and simple presentation. Nothing über fancy in comparison to other high class restaurant. Which is nice actually. Straight forward flavours, and you see what you eat. But that’s also why I only put 4 starts, not 5. More creativity would have been perfect.
The wines we had were also very very nice. Well chosen for us, and went super well with the food. And surprisingly not too expensive in comparison to the rest.
The location is great, in a vibrant area so that it’s easy to go out for a drink afterwards. The interior is very high end, what you would expect from such an expensive restaurant. Nothing eccentric, but just classy and simply smart. The staff was very professional, attentive and very friendly.
I would recommend for a very special occasion. Definitively not a go-​there-​every-​week place ;))) Give it a try, and indulge.