Gauthier Soho, London

Gauthier Soho exudes class. Not just the kind of class that informs the little touches - the doorbell to get in, the quiet shady dinning rooms in what used to be a house, the classy decor - but also the tame pricing (£30 for three courses then £10 per course extra a la carte, £26 three courses set lunch and pre theatre or £33 with two glasses of decent wine) and the free still or sparkling water.

Service was welcoming and well timed though I had to ask for the set menu to be brought. This seems to be par for the course in the evening here - it was volunteered to no one.

To begin there's cubes of Hake mouse covered with sesame and olive focaccia and olive crisp (this later served with two types of olive oil, one low in acidity and one rich and peppery). Both are really nice.

There's also three types of butter (bacon butter was my favourite). For the bread I chose carrot and cheese and French baguette (tiny whole baguette not slices from a large one). Making such a pleasure and theatre of the amuses, with the multiple oils and butters, earned the place an immediate big tick in my book; I have no problem with pretension when it's backed by quality and a touch of whimsy
(for further touches of both check out the books in the bathroom).

Up next is sweetbread with mustard and beetroot sauce. I love sweetbread and this is a delicious example.


This is followed by St Georges mushroom risotto with a parmesan tuile and chicken jus which is luxuriously rich but not as wearying as some super rich risottos are. I'd order this dish again.

Artichoke with tofu, pea velouté and crunchy fennel is my main course, and fully vegetarian. Parts of the artichoke were a little over salty for me but of course that's very much a personal taste and I'd certainly rather a fraction too much salt than too little.

The pre dessert of lemon panacotta with lime shavings is light and natural tasting (an amazing contrast to the Frankenstein dessert, allegedly white chocolate parfait, that I had at a catered meal at Wembley Stadium the night before; a dessert so monsterous I felt like claiming to be diabetic from now on to avoid ever being faced with its like again).

My dessert was the 'signature' dark chocolate and praline Golden Louis XV. This dish is also on the a la carte menu and I'd be tempted to just eat it five times for £60 it's that good! Ok maybe that's a bit of hyperbole but I'd definitely have it again. And again.

I've always had a hankering to eat at L'Arpege in Paris but its a long way away and soo expensive. I'd need to win the lottery. But Gauthier seems to be a great alternative in my home country. By bringing vegetables to the fore but not excluding meat and fish completely Gauthier has created a distinctive and compelling cuisine that lacks for nothing. Of course they can deliver fully vegetarian food on request.

Total for this meal? £29, inc. service at 12.5%. This is exceptional value for food that is not only of a Michelin one-star standard but also very distinct from most places in or around Soho. Overall I liked Gauthier Soho a lot and I certainly plan to go back, probably with some real vegetarians in tow since most of my acquaintance voice that fine dining restaurants tend to give them short shrift (though that's clearly changing in London).

21 Romilly Street Soho London W1D