If you happen to be in London but feel the urge for really old-school French gourmet dining look no further than Le Gavroche. The settings resemble of an antiques store and the full two-dozen strong hierarchy of waiters (all French, bien entendu!) are so stylishly arrogant that I almost felt let down by the gray-haired gentleman who first welcomed us at the door: he was actually willing to shut an eye on my blue jeans on the condition that our whole party of three men wore the ugly blue blazers he lent us...
At least on your first visit, stick to the 8-course Menu Exceptionnel (with wine pairing). My favourites from that shockwave of tastes remain the grilled scallop and hot foie gras with cinnamon duck. And the word is that people travel from all over the world just to try Chef Michel Roux Jr's (who was also visibly present at the venue all night) cheese souffle.
Our full culinary trip is available as a photoset here.
Verdict: Le Gavroche might have lost one of their top Michelin stars since the eighties (today they have "only" two), but they are still very much worth your four hours of time and money.
