It’s July – major celebration month in our household. First there’s Blai’s birthday and then there’s my birthday and then at the end of the month, our wedding anniversary. As you can imagine, this makes July a very busy and expensive month! First up was a dinner to celebrate Blai’s birthday at Galvin Bistrot de Luxe; the restaurant was chosen when he requested a French meal. We’d never been to any of the Galvin restaurants and I thought we’d use this occasion to try it. Located on Baker Street, the restaurant looks tiny from the outside but inside is a much larger, very classic and warm French bistro than is expected.
Blai chose the bistro’s famous Lasagne of Dorset Crab, Beurre Nantais for his starter. The little cylindrical lasagne sat in a large pool of the most exquisite beurre blanc (I’ve just learned that beurre Nantais is when cream is added) which we wiped up with the warm bread provided. The silky sheets of pasta held together a rich mousse packed with crab; this dish gave me serious starter envy!
I started with the Imam Bayaldi, Greek Yoghurt and Coriander Cress. What arrived was another little tower of food: aubergine, tomato, onion all cooked together to a chunky yet lush mixture and served cold. I thought the aubergine could have been a bit silkier but overall, it was a dish that was well put together and well presented, if a little light.
Because he just can’t have enough pasta, Blai chose the Open Ravioli of Braised Pig’s Head, Celeriac Remoulade for his main course. While the bits of pig’s head were lovely and tender, there was a strong vinegary flavour incorporated with them. While not unpleasant, it was still a very strange taste to encounter when one’s expecting a rich braise. The creamy celeriac remoulade was hiding underneath the ravioli and again, while not terrible, we felt it didn’t work well with the ravioli on top.
I had the Roast Wood Pigeon, Macaroni, Pancetta and Broad Beans. The pigeon breasts had been grilled till rare and were served on top of a mixture of fresh macaroni, pancetta, broad beans (whole and pureed) and tender pieces of the pigeon leg and thigh. This was a more successful mixture with the richness of the game and the pancetta working well with the greenness of the broad beans. The sauce drizzled around the perimeter was extremely dark. iron-rich and I wonder if it was made of blood.
My Apple Tarte Tatin, Creme Fraiche came out looking like half a wagon wheel on a plate. This was the biggest single portion of tarte tatin I’ve ever encountered! The size may not be so apparent in the photo but trust me, it was at least 7 or 8 inches in diameter. And it was utterly gorgeous too, with the puff pastry half crispy and half chewy with caramel.
Blai’s Valrhona Chocolate Delice, Milk Ice Cream came out with birthday greetings which was a very nice and welcome surprise. I don’t remember much of the little I tasted but judging by the way Blai wiped his plate soon after it was placed in front of him, I’d say it was excellent! Actually, I do remember that it was lighter than it appeared, which is quite refreshing.
Service was wonderfully jovial and, I thought, really made this birthday dinner. The food overall wasn’t bad – the starters and desserts were excellent but I thought the mains, while not excellent, were good. Perhaps we didn’t order very well. Still, we loved the restaurant enough that we’d love to return again – I hear their prix fixe menu is excellent value. For those who are interested, our bill (food + water + a lemonade) came to a total of Β£69.70.
Galvin Bistrot de Luxe
66 Baker Street
London W1U 7DJ
Fri, 16 Jul, 2010 at 20:43
This would definitely my #1 special date in London wanna go to place.
Fri, 16 Jul, 2010 at 22:07
OMG that food looks so incredibly fancy and delicious! My mouth is watering!!!
Fri, 16 Jul, 2010 at 23:36
looks fabulous! happy everything π
Sat, 17 Jul, 2010 at 10:33
Sounds overall like a great celebration! Where next?!
Mon, 19 Jul, 2010 at 13:33
Oh lovely! I love Galvin Bistrot de Luxe and really enjoyed La Chapelle too. Got to hit Windows next π
The starters and pigeon look superb. Shame about the vinegary pigs head π¦
Mon, 19 Jul, 2010 at 22:03
Hello!
Galvin Bistrot De Luxe is often overshadowed by The Windows but it’s such good value considering the quality – that crab lasagne is the business! Hungry Female xx
Tue, 20 Jul, 2010 at 19:27
Great photos. I can’t believe I worked next door to Galvin and never ate there over the course of nearly 5 years! I’m livid with myself. That starter looks sensational.
Wed, 21 Jul, 2010 at 23:45
Rahul: Oh, definitely ask for one of the corner tables. Much more intimate than the other two tops.
ezsrecipes: π If you find yourself in London, you should go here!
kat: π Thank you!
LexEat: Next up is the next blog post… π But the real showstopper for us is the one at the end of the month!
Niamh: Of the Galvin restaurants, I’d love to hit up Windows next. Perhaps pigs head is normally like that? I dunno – I guess I expected more of a rich braise.
Hungry Female: I suppose it’s overlooked as it’s the cheapest of the three? But the food is good!
browners: Thank you! Oh no… you’ll have to visit when you next come back to London!
Thu, 22 Jul, 2010 at 16:08
beautiful photos, Su-Lin, i love Galvin- the lovely Mrs Trefusis introduced me to it a few years ago. their tarte tatin is so delicious- hope you had a lovely time and here’s to a wonderful July! xxx shayma
Mon, 26 Jul, 2010 at 18:44
shayma: It was an epic tarte tatin! Glad you like it too!
Tue, 27 Jul, 2010 at 07:30
Galvin bistro is awesome! Great value and great nosh me thinks.
Have you tried boudin blanc in shepherds market? It’s a wonderful atmosphere n the best onion soup in town.
Congrats on your anniversary and happy birthday!
Mon, 9 Aug, 2010 at 18:30
Shmii: No, we’ve not tried Boudin Blanc – but thanks, I’ll add it to our list!
Tue, 16 Jun, 2020 at 08:36
Nice content admin.