Harden's survey result
Summary
“There’s an unrivalled emphasis on providing top-quality vegan cuisine” at Alexis Gauthier’s “wonderfully quirky” venue: a “charming townhouse”, “tucked away in the middle of Soho”, where “you ring the bell at the front door to get entry”. When he launched it in 2010, the menu was just like any other high temple of French gastronomy (“his foie gras used to be the best”). But gradually he has taken away the meat, going ‘proudly 100% vegan’ on June 23rd 2021, to offer “serious, considered cooking… that just doesn’t happen to have animal products”; and – for London – presents arguably “the best vegan menu for gourmets”. In a similar vein, the accompanying wines (also vegan) “are chosen carefully and presented with knowledge and real enthusiasm”. The journey has been followed by some reporters all the way from his days at Roussillon in Pimlico, but there’s disagreement over its ultimate success, and this has impacted ratings somewhat. Advocates say “the vegan tasting menus will convert even the most red-blooded meat-eater” (“as a confirmed carnivore, I didn’t miss the meat here at all”); while sceptics say “I used to give it a 5 all-round and it’s still excellent, but as an omnivore I’ve lost a reason to visit with the new focus”. A fair middle summary? “It was actually better before turning vegan, but is still very good”. Top Tip: Gauthier at Home, the home delivery business, also gets a big thumbs-up.
Summary
“Why he has not regained his Michelin star is quite beyond me”, say fans of Alexis Gauthier’s immensely popular and accomplished venture, which lost its gong in 2012, and which the Tyre Man has pointedly (pointlessly?) ignored ever since. “You have to ring the doorbell to gain entrance” to this quirky old Georgian townhouse in Soho, whose “charming, old-world” dining rooms are on different floors separated by a somewhat “rickety staircase”. But whereas its culinary style could once be easily pigeon-holed as “classic” Gallic gluttony – with “exquisite, inventive dishes, beautifully presented” – the main man’s banishment of foie gras in 2015, his ongoing conversion to veganism, and his well-known ‘Les Plantes’ vegan tasting menu (a feature since 2016) is taking the place further and further out of the mainstream. On most accounts results remain utterly “outstanding” whether or not you are a meat eater, but ratings dipped a tad this year on the back of some regulars noting a slight “slip in standards”. Sometimes the concern is general (“needs a bit of a revamp”). More often, though, it’s linked to the shift away from meat (“getting tired of the vegan ‘foie gras’ canapés and yearning for the old-style ones”). But, quibbles aside, his achievement in maintaining high standards during such a big shift is impressive, and it will be more so if he fulfills his promise next year and goes entirely vegan. Hats off to AG for “embracing the concept and importance of a plant-based diet and doing wonderful things to vegetables!”
Summary
“Why he has not regained his Michelin star is quite beyond me”, say fans of Alexis Gauthier’s immensely popular and accomplished venture, which lost its gong in 2012, and which the Tyre Man has pointedly (pointlessly?) ignored ever since. “You have to ring the doorbell to gain entrance” to this quirky old Georgian townhouse in Soho, whose “charming, old-world” dining rooms are on different floors separated by a somewhat “rickety staircase”. But whereas its culinary style could once be easily pigeon-holed as “classic” Gallic gluttony – with “exquisite, inventive dishes, beautifully presented” – the main man’s banishment of foie gras in 2015, his ongoing conversion to veganism, and his well-known ‘Les Plantes’ vegan tasting menu (a feature since 2016) is taking the place further and further out of the mainstream. On most accounts results remain utterly “outstanding” whether or not you are a meat eater, but ratings dipped a tad this year on the back of some regulars noting a slight “slip in standards”. Sometimes the concern is general (“needs a bit of a revamp”). More often, though, it’s linked to the shift away from meat (“getting tired of the vegan ‘foie gras’ canapés and yearning for the old-style ones”). But, quibbles aside, his achievement in maintaining high standards during such a big shift is impressive, and it will be more so if he fulfills his promise next year and goes entirely vegan. Hats off to AG for “embracing the concept and importance of a plant-based diet and doing wonderful things to vegetables!”
Summary
“Stepping through that front door (you ring to enter) takes you into a better world” at Alexis Gauthier’s “quirky”, converted townhouse in Soho, which provides “some of the best French cooking in London”. “The cuisine achieves a masterful balance of traditional technique applied to the finest ingredients – flavour, intensity, plus beautiful presentation”; and the “empathic service” is “friendly but always professional”. The venue’s “distinctiveness continues into the maze of cosy yet elegant rooms” spread “higgledy piggledy” over a couple of floors, and “with only a few tables in each room”, the style is “peaceful” going on “seductive”. Why Michelin took their star away is an utter mystery. Top Tips – “the eight-course tasting menu is a fabulous foodie experience; the three-course De Luxe lunch is an absolute steal”; “the devoted vegan tasting menu is superb”; last but not least, “the truffle risotto is a ‘Desert Island Dish’”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Gauthier Soho Restaurant Diner Reviews
"For pure plant eaters this must now be a delight. For those who still eat meat the lustre is fading and the preponderance of mushroom emphasises the brown palette a little too much."
"Oh dear. A fine restaurant gone bad. The tofu dish was left by our whole party and by friends who went the following week. The smell and taste of off fis"
"My favourite restaurant in London, the tasting menus at lunch are exceptional - the accompanying wines chosen carefully and presented with knowledge and real enthusiasm - and the vegan tasting menus will convert even the most red blood meat eater"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
21 Romilly St, London, W1D 5AF
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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