Le Gavroche

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The wagging finger, end of an era…

In 1982, Le Gavroche, https://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/, was one of only two Michelin three-starred restaurants in the UK – the other being The Waterside Inn. I was an 18-year-old catering student at Blackpool College, and even back then, I had a hankering for good food and fine dining. It was to be another three years before I joined the Box Tree in Ilkley and, in 1986, to work with Raymond Blanc at his two-star Michelin restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons (https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons/).

Back in 1982 (42 years ago), I invited my sister to dine at Le Gavroche to celebrate her 21st birthday. The meal was beyond my comprehension, a gift that she and I would dine out on for years to come. It was worth every penny…

I was in my finest Burton suit and tie, thinking I was the bee’s knees. A clear recollection is that a G&T was a shocking £4, and it was £7 for a souvenir signed menu. The overall experience was one of total awe. The Mayfair address, the sumptuous interior, crisp white jackets, wall-to-wall suits – there is much to take in for the boy from Blackpool.

Our game plan was not to show ourselves up; of course, I had no idea of restaurant etiquette, and while removing my jacket as I was overheating, Silvano, the restaurant manager and now good friend, wagged his finger at me announcing “a gentleman keeps his jacket on” – oops, that’s me found out…

Since then, I have dined at Le Gavroche many times, it has punctuated some special occasions, such as my 40th Birthday treat with Val, my wife, and recollections of a fantastic veal chop, the finest cheese board in town and the omnipresent Austrian twins, Sylvia and Ursula, a highlight of the front of house team for the past twenty years. If you have been, you will know who I mean.

I think the hospitality industry was shocked when Michel announced he no longer had an appetite to continue the good fight, and with a new lease looming, it was time.

And time it was, the curtain was to fall on one of the most iconic restaurants not just in London but in the world and I wanted one last taste. A swansong to the Roux legacy, a final taste of the Soufflé Suissesse, that cheese board, and to soak up the effortless charm and seduction that was 43 Upper Brook Street. It was everything we had thought it would be, living up to expectations to the very last minute.

The restaurant world has much to thank the Roux family for – leading the way when food and service were not cool and trendy, training and guiding some of the biggest names – Pierre Koffman, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, Jun Tanaka, Bryn Williams, Stephen Terry, Rowley Leigh, Paul Rankin, to name only a few. Respect!

Closing must have been an agonising decision to make. But let’s face it, Michel had a little help along the way. By that I mean, London is a difficult place to trade, the insatiable appetite for the new venue, not the trusted gems, and the Hospitality industry has no voice supporting small businesses, it is a tough job staying afloat.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m always super positive and always looking for the silver lining, and there is one; Pied à Terre can now say it is “London’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant.”

Tip Top.

David Moore, Founder and Owner of Pied à Terre.