🥣 Let's Eat Out: The Gauthier Experience
Gauthier Soho is a must-visit restaurant for anyone looking for a unique and unforgettable dining experience in the heart of London Soho
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Gauthier Soho
Address: 21 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AF
Website 🔗
Menu 🔖
👨🍳Who is Alexis Gauthier?
Founded by Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Alexis Gauthier, Gauthier offers a vegan tasting menu that showcases classic French dishes made entirely without animal products.
Chef Alexis Gauthier has been experimenting with plant-based menus since 1997, and his passion for creating high-end vegan cuisine has only grown stronger over the years. In 2015, he removed all animal products from his menu as part of PETA's International Vegan Month, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. This led to a plan to make vegetables a focus rather than just an afterthought, and in June 2021, the restaurant reopened as a fully vegan establishment.
🪔An intimate setting
Spread over three floors of a charming Regency townhouse in Soho, Gauthier provides the perfect backdrop for a special evening out. The tables are intimately arranged, with the majority for couples except for a larger table of 5-6 in the corner behind us. We came here for a special occasion to belatedly (10 weeks out) celebrate the year-end of 2022. There was certainly no better place for it than a top-notch vegan establishment.
🔖 The Menu
What sets Gauthier Soho apart from other vegan restaurants is the use of classical French gastronomy techniques to create beautifully crafted dishes that highlight the unique flavours and textures of plant-based ingredients. Chef Gauthier's philosophy is that vegetables can stand on their own and don't need to pretend to be meat to be delicious.
The Dinner Menu is £95 per person, with Sommelier Wine Pairing an extra £75.
😋 Dish Highlights
The canapés dish from Gauthier Soho features two different bite-sized offerings, each with its own unique combination of flavours and textures. We were blown away right off the bat.
Shiitake/ Kombu & Plant Cavier Tapioca /
Sweet Potato, Smoke and Sorrell
The canapés feature shiitake mushrooms, which are a type of Japanese mushroom known for their meaty texture and umami flavour. These are paired with kombu, a type of edible kelp that is often used in Japanese cuisine for its savoury taste, and plant caviar made from tapioca. Tapioca pearls are cooked until they become small, glistening spheres that mimic the look and texture of caviar. The sweet potato is roasted and smoked to add depth of flavour and paired with sorrel, a leafy green herb with a bright, lemony flavour. The result is a combination of earthy, salty, and slightly sweet flavours that just exploded in our mouths.
Lettuce, Watercress, Brioche Crunch, Herbs
The second course was a green puree enjoyed alongside a Brioche. The puree was refreshing, but the Brioche was in fact the start of the show.
The brioche crunch was among the best pastry I’d ever tasted, anywhere. It had so much richness and depth that could have wrapped up the meal right there.
Another notable dish was this one:
Jerusalem Artichokes - Hazelnut - Chive
Jerusalem artichokes are root vegetables that have a slightly sweet and nutty flavour, while hazelnuts share a rich and nutty flavour and add texture to the dish. Chives have a mild onion-like flavour, providing a subtle savoury note. Their bright green colour also enhanced the overall visual appeal. Finally, the foam-like texture of the puree adds a light and airy quality to the dish, making the presentation very unique.
More photos from the dinner:
🧐 Overall impression
I felt that Chef Alexis Gauthier is a true visionary when it comes to creating innovative and delicious plant-based dishes. With a commitment to using only plant-based ingredients, Chef Alexis Gauthier is leading the charge in creating a new French gastronomy that is both sustainable and delicious. From the stunning canapés to the masterpiece mains, every dish showcased the chef's passion and creativity.
Not only is the food at Gauthier Soho out of this world, but the restaurant itself is an absolute gem. The intimate setting and impeccable service create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is perfect for any occasion, from a romantic dinner for two to a special celebration with friends and family.
From Plantwise
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