Club Gascon

Club Gascon is a French restaurant located in London, England. As of 2012, the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide. The French restaurant was opened by Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie in October 1998, and serves French cuisine. In addition to its Michelin star, it has also won two Catey Awards.[1]

Club Gascon
The exterior of Club Gascon
Restaurant information
Head chefPascal Aussignac
Food typeFrench cuisine
Rating1 Michelin star (Michelin Guide 2022)
Street address57 West Smithfield
CityLondon, EC1
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates51°31′07″N 0°06′01″W
Seating capacity40
Other informationNearest station:
London Underground Barbican
WebsiteClubGascon.com

Description

Opened by chef Pascal Aussignac and business partner Vincent Labeyrie in September 1998,[2] the restaurant is located near St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield, London.[3] The premises itself was formerly a Lyon's Tea House, then a bank, and then had been empty for six years. The freehold is owned by Centrepoint, a charity for young homeless people.[4] The dining area is one long narrow room, with large tables down one side and smaller tables elsewhere.[3] Aussignac had previously failed to find financing to open a restaurant in Paris, but by 2008 was employing sixty workers across three restaurants in London.[5] The restaurant is considered a forerunner of fine dining in its local area, which had since become popular with other restaurants appearing nearby.[4]

Reviews and awards

"I have very high standards," wrote restaurant critic AA Gill "but Club Gascon was a fabulous surprise."[6] Caroline Stacy reviewed the restaurant shortly after it opened for The Independent, described some of the dishes as "exceptional", but felt that the cassoulet was disappointing.[7] The New York Times recommended the restaurant in 2000.[8] Jan Moir of The Daily Telegraph reviewed the restaurant in February 2002, describing it as producing the "deep, velvety succulence of the flavours of south-west France".[3] Richard Vines, writing for Bloomberg in 2006 explained that while the dining was slow-paced, it was worth it and said if it wasn't for him being a food reporter, he'd be a regular there.[2]

The restaurant won Best Newcomer at The Catey Awards in 1999, followed in 2002 by a Michelin star.[4] In 2007, the restaurant was ranked 35th best in the UK by the Good Food Guide, on the first occasion the guide ranked restaurants in that manner (previously it had given marks out of ten for each establishment).[9] In 2007, it won a second Catey Award, this time for Restaurateur of the Year – Independent.[4]

In 2013, it won the "Test of Time" award (for the most consistently excellent restaurant) at the Tatler Restaurant Awards.[10] The same year, in June, Pascal Aussignac was awarded also won the Restaurant Chef of the Year by the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards.[11]

In 2017, after 19 years of operation, the restaurant was fully refurbished, and the kitchen has been extended. The reopening of Club Gascon has been a real success since then.[12]

References
  1. Middleton, Joe (25 November 2022). "'We are not even full for Christmas' – England's restaurants count their lost bookings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. Vines, Richard (17 February 2006). "Club Gascon, Where Lunch Can Take All Afternoon: Richard Vines". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. Moir, Jan (16 February 2002). "Are you ready to order? This week: Club Gascon". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  4. Wood, Joanne (12 July 2007). "Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie: Restaurateurs' profile". CatererSearch.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  5. Deen, Mark; Katz, Alan (5 February 2008). "French making themselves at home in London". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  6. "Newcomer of the Year - Caterer and Hotelkeeper". Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  7. Stacey, Caroline (7 November 1998). "Restaurants: All for one and one for all". The Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  8. "Sanctuaries of Surprise in the Heart of Old London". The New York Times. 24 December 2000. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  9. Vines, Richard (14 September 2007). "Fat Duck Pips Gordon Ramsay for Top Place in Good Food Guide". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  10. "Tatler Restaurant Awards 2013 - the winners".
  11. "Saturday Kitchen's James Martin honoured with special award at Craft Guild of Chefs Awards - Caterer and Hotelkeeper". Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  12. "Is Club Gascon the best Michelin-starred restaurant in London?". February 2018.
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