black truffle risotto with chicken jus reduction & brown butter

The big freeze seems to have taken a strangle hold again. The temperatures earlier this week thrusted our month of November into London’s history books as being the coldest in over 30 years. We’re bundled up and trudging through the heaving (or trickling, depends where you are) snow, barely managing to keep frostbite from claiming our little noses.

Well thank god some establishments still have open fireplaces for us to defrost a little. Like Gauthier in Soho, for example, where I parked my butt on a very chilly Monday night and enjoyed a thoroughly satisfying meal by an open fire, kept warm and comfortable with heat and fabulous company.

open fire place in Gauthier dining room

amuse bouche: fillet of halibut with sultanas and crustacean sauce

light pumpkin cream with Scottish girolles, ricotta gnocchi & crispy pancetta

foie gras with apple, sultanas, crispy herbs caramel and
calavados reduction deglazed with verjus

crayfish velouté with blond chicken liver, truffle & chervil

quail & smoked eel with pickled autumn vegetables and herb & cèpe dressing

scallops & caramelised red onions with braised & crunchy rainbow chard,
sauce choron & brown butter

cut of Highland’s venison with Williams pear, celeriac cream & squash

palate cleanser: roasted apple with yoghurt sorbet

classic rum baba with whipping cream

Golden Louis XV with dark chocolate & praline

pineapple “couple glacée”: vanilla & rum caramelised pineapple
with light vanilla foam

petit fours: vanilla marshmallow, madeleines, caramel tartlettes

Gauthier’s menu is structured in such a way to offer up to five courses, but you need not have five. They are priced as £35 for 3 courses, £45 for 4 or £55 for 5. Or if you opt for the tasting menu, it’s £68 for 8 courses.

Note though that the truffle risotto (top) comes with a £10 surcharge for black truffle or £25 surcharge for white truffle. I chose black truffle because you know, I’m totally pretending to be posh but I can’t actually afford to be white-truffle-posh. SO. Worth. It. The risotto oooooozes of decadent truffle goodness!

I completely rate my experience at Gauthier. The food was superb as is the service. Our waiter looked all of 14 years old (and remarkably like Tintin) but he was attentive, professional and oh SO French-cute!

Gauthier
21 Romilly Street
Soho, W1D 5AF
0207 494 3111
website

Gauthier Soho on Urbanspoon

9 Thoughts on “Gauthier Soho: decadent truffle & an open fire… what more could you want right now?

  1. The photos looks really yumm! and seems perfect for cold snowy day. I’m tossing between going to Gauthier or Les Deux, which would you recommend?

  2. I love Gauthier Soho, and having tried it I will never go without having that black truffle risotto – I can still taste it in my mind from my visit weeks ago. Mmm…. Lovely snaps.

  3. Kay: I haven’t been to Les Deux so I don’t know! I’ve heard a lot of good things about it though. It probably has a brasserie type of feel, where as Gautheir is quite cosy, if that makes a difference to your decision?

    Greedy Diva: Yes the risotto was good. The rice may have been a touch undercooked but the flavour was amazing!

  4. That Golden Louis XV looks soooo good…. I really want to try the truffle risotto as well, have heard many good things about it.

  5. Linda at Pink Elephants coffee,LLC on December 3, 2010 at 12:10 am said:

    While I don’t envy the snow surprise you had, I do wish I were there to eat. These
    photos have me all hopped up to research some recipes. And, oh, those scallops
    are CUTE! But even my cat wouldn’t sniff at the chicken liver, blond or otherwise.
    I think that I’d rather try whipped brain. Seriously. The high-end food art has taken
    the presentation of it to odd platters. As Julia Child said,”Presentation is 75% of the
    meal”. I miss the days when I waved hello to her on the beach in Montecito. She
    would wear a simple cotton dress and a big, floppy hat. Quite a few of us residents
    would go to that beach just to have a refreshing walk at lower tide. …
    I spied vanilla bean in the whipped cream on the rum baba. Gotta make some! It’s
    the kiss of food love.

  6. Right now I’d like to devour the smoked eel and the scallops please! Perhaps I should set up a ‘donate’ feature on my blog to make this happen LOL

  7. That looks truly glamorous my dear! I am once again drooling over those desserts… They look amazing!

  8. Yum! The food looked incredible.
    ESPECIALLY the dark choc and praline…beautiful!

    x

  9. Su-yin: The truffle risotto had the strongest truffle flavour I’ve ever had. Rice was a touch undercooked, but I forgive them!

    Linda: Those scallops were luscious. Big and juicy! I don’t mind the snow if I get to eat next to an open fireplace 😉

    Adrian: LOL, donate feature! Not a bad idea 😉 there would be some weirdo out there who would openly donate to someone I’m sure haha 🙂

    Maria: It was a lush meal, venue included. I don’t do this every day!

    Vint Junkie: I kinda wish I ordered the dark choc and praline.. I had the pineapple. Guess I have to go back some day 😉

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