• About The Hedonist
  • Bar Talk-Where we’re drinking
    • The Polo Bar @ The Westbury
    • Pink Chihuahua
    • 69 Colebrooke Row – Review
    • The Bar at the George V Paris – Review
    • Duke’s Bar – Review
    • Bassoon Bar – Review
    • Banca – Review
    • THE EGERTON HOUSE BAR -Review
    • The Lucky Pig – Review
    • Beagle – Review
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • London Restaurant Reviews
    • Caractère – Review Notting Hill
    • Patri – Review
    • Villa di Geggiano – Review
    • African Volcano @  Great Guns Social  
    • Beso – Review
    • Padella – Review
    • 28°-50° London Wine Workshop and Kitchen – Review
    • The Goring – Review
    • Freakscene – Review
    • CUB – Review
    • Tsukiji Sushi – Review
    • COYA Angel Court – Review
    • Nutbourne – Review
    • Galvin Bistrot de Luxe – Review
    • Palatino – Review
    • Lao Café – Review
    • Galvin at The Athenaeum – Review
    • 7 Park Place – Review
    • QP London – Review
    • Cinnamon Bazaar – Review
    • Chinese New Year @ Hakkasan
    • Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – Review
    • The Ritz @ Xmas – Review
    • Coriander – Review
    • El Parador – Review
    • Inamo – Review
    • Ostuni – Review
    • Chai Wu – Review
    • Shotgun BBQ – Review
    • Ormer Mayfair – Review
    • Review-The Angler
    • The Harcourt – Review
    • Pizzicotto – Review
    • The Painted Heron – Review
    • All Star Lanes – Review
    • Kurobuta Harvey Nichols – Review
    • Bangalore Express – Review
    • Zero Degrees – Review
    • Chakra – Review
    • Cottons Caribbean Restaurant and Salon de Rhum – Review
    • Lotus – Review
    • Charlotte’s W5 – Review
    • Massimo – Review
    • Brasserie Les 110 de Taillevent – Review
    • The Dalloway Terrace @ The Bloomsbury hotel – Review
    • Plum + Spilt Milk – Review
    • Bella Cosa – Review
    • Roka Aldwych – Review (with Bookatable)
    • Brasserie Gustave – Review
    • Muga – Review
    • Barrafina – Review
    • Charlotte’s Place – Review
    • The New St Grill – Review
    • The Lockhart – Review
    • Kêu – Review
    • The Richmond – Review
    • Allan Pickett @ Sanderson – Review
    • Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea @ The InterContinental London
    • Tartufi & Friends @ Harrods – Review
    • The Five Fields – Review
    • West Thirty Six – Review
    • Evoluzione @ Hotel Xenia Kensington – Review
    • Rex & Mariano – Review
    • Kitchen Table @ Bubbledogs – Review
    • John Doe – Review
    • Ceru – Review
    • Kouzu – Review
    • Enoteca Rabezzana – Review
    • Old Tom & English – Review
    • The Wallace – Review
    • Zaika – Review
    • Xmas at Boulestin – Review
    • Crocker’s Folly – Review
    • The Cavendish – Review
    • Laurent-Perrier at The New Angel – Review
    • Assado – Review
    • The Life Goddess – Review
    • Bubba Gump Shrimp Co – Review
    • Ember Yard – Review
    • The Palomar – Review
    • Blanchette – Review
    • Cannizaro House – Review
    • 1901 Restaurant at Andaz – Review
    • Notting Hill Kitchen – Review
    • The Guildford Arms – Review
    • Curry for Change @ Cafe Spice Namaste
    • Chotto Matte – Review
    • Lyle’s – Review
    • The Clove Club – Review
    • Quo Vadis – Review
    • Polpetto – Review
    • Osteria dell Angelo – Review
    • Amsterdam-Johannes Restaurant – Review
    • The Worlds End Market – Chelsea
    • Brigade Bar & Bistro- Review
    • La Polenteria – Review
    • Mele e Pere – Review
    • La Mancha – Review
    • The Well – Review
    • Harrods The Salad Kitchen – Review
    • Layla – Review
    • See Sushi – Review
    • Pescatori Mayfair – Review
    • Flesh & Buns – Review
    • Grain Store – Review
    • Acciuga – Review
    • Pizza Pilgrims – Review
    • Les Trois Garcons – Review
    • Little Social – Review
    • Review-Ametsa with Arzak Instruction
    • Review-Balthazar
    • Reviews-Brasserie Zedel
    • Review-Copita
    • Review-Hawksmoor Air St.
    • The Glasshouse – Review
    • Review-Coya
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • Travel
    • Tuscany
      • Tuscany-A Florentine Feast with Anna Bini
      • Tuscany-Olive Oil Pressing in Pistoia-Olio Nuovo
      • Tuscany-Pecorino and Ricotta from the Pistoia Hills
  • Music
    • When A Gig Goes Wrong – Pop Music’s Hall of Shame

The Hedonist

Review-Garnier

September 29, 2012 by Adrian Leave a Comment

GARNIER                                 Earl’s Court

Follow @Hedonisttweets

314 Earl’s Court Rd, London, SW5 9BQ

020 7370 4536

For those of us who have been knocking around the London restaurant scene for the last few decades, seeing Eric Garnier controlling the front of house has always been a reassuring sign. Whether expertly directing platoons of staff at mega-brasseries Quaglinos and Bank in the 90’s, or working on a more human scale at Koffman’s and Racine more recently, you always felt that you were watching a master of his art. Racine was all about returning to the roots of French bourgeois cooking (racine means root) and it is this style, which is now almost an endangered species rather than the mainstream, that Garnier offers in his eponymous Earl’s Court restaurant. Heading up the kitchen is  Andreas Engberg who ran the kitchen at Racine for many years and fans of the Knightsbridge stalwart, where some critics have noted a decline in standards since Engberg’s and Garnier’s departure,  will love Garnier.

GARNIER

The restaurant’s location in Earl’s Court makes it the obvious choice for anyone going to the Exhibition Centre as well as being easily accessible to anyone in West London. With other new openings in the neighbourhood it is quite possible that Earl’s Court may be transforming itself into more of a culinary destination. The interior is classic and understated with more space and light than there was at Racine and the menu and the wine list offer a sophisticated take on cuisine bourgeoise.

ASSIETTE DE CRUDITÉS

The Assiette de Crudites (£9.90) combined the mustardy crunch of Celeriac Remoulade with the softness of beetroot, dill infused cucumber, Artichokes à la Barigoule (braised in white wine) and delicious leeks in a beautifully composed dish.

GNOCCHI, COURGETTES, MENTHE ET PECORINO

Gnocchi, Courgettes, Mint and Pecorino Cheese  (£8.50) was warm and comforting without being in any way heavy.

COQUILLES SAINT JACQUES À LA GRECQUE

Roast Scallops, Cauliflower Puree, Pickled Girolles and Spinach (£ 12. 00)-two plump scallops were cooked perfectly, seared on the outside but moist and opaque on the inside, accompanied by the pickled girolles and the chlorophyll softness of the spinach.

SAUMON BIOLOGIQUE POCHÉE, SAUCE MALTAISE

Poached Organic Salmon, Hollandaise Sauce with Grapefruit (£19.90) came on a bed of samphire. The salmon was a really good piece of fish served lightly poached and still pink inside. It sat on the plate almost throbbing with pleasure as it soaked up the citric unctuousness of the Sauce Maltaise, caressed by the samphire fronds.

GARNIER DESSERTS

For dessert I had the Crepes Suzette (£7.90-not pictured) which slipped down my throat almost too pleasingly. I think Suzette would have enjoyed it. If I had a criticism of the dish it would be that it really should be prepared at the table for the full theatre of the experience.

Unlike most recent openings Garnier opened with no website or social media hullaballoo and entered the deep waters of the London restaurant scene with barely a splash like a sleek liner gliding down the slipway, ready for service. A five star review from A.A.Gill in The Sunday Times guaranteed the evening clientele and somehow it already feels that this timeless classic restaurant has been around for ever.

 

Garnier Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Square Meal

5 / 5 stars     

Filed Under: Restaurants & Bars

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tags

Acciuga Belgravia Brighton Bruno Loubet Camden Chelsea Chiswick Cocktails Covent Garden Curry D@D Fitzrovia Gallery Mess gin Hackney Harrison's Harrods Hoxton Indian Islington Italian Japanese Kensington King's Rd London London-Unattached Marylebone Mayfair Namaaste Kitchen Negroni Notting Hill pan-asian Peru Peruvian Pizza Restaurant sake Sam's Shoreditch Sloane Square Soho tapas The Hedonist The Saatchi Gallery Tony Conigliaro

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in