Simon Wittenberg visits the Michelin-starred French restaurant for lunch in the heart of London’s financial district to enjoy dishes from its newly launched ‘Summer Festival’ fixed price set menu.
This year is particularly special for brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, as they celebrate two decades of serving the finest Michelin-starred cuisine. Their first restaurant, named Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, opened its doors on London’s famed Baker Street thoroughfare two decades ago, and since then, the family-run collection of eateries has grown across the capital and out to Essex.
Galvin La Chapelle – the subject of our review – launched in 2009 following the extensive restoration of a Grade II listed Victorian building in Spitalfields, close to Liverpool Street, which was once part of a school dating back to 1726.
From the vintage photos our host kindly showed us, guests actually dine in what looks like the former gymnasium, amongst towering columns, and under the magnificent pitched roof with exposed beams and vintage light fittings.
Arched, cathedral-like windows flood this eatery with light, while the glass mezzanine level above gives this establishment a subtle modern twist.
Taking our seat next to the bar and open kitchen headed up by Executive Chef Arturo Granata who has plied his trade in Italy, France, and in the UK, and follows in the footsteps of his mother, our table, sporting pristine white linen, looked out on to fellow diners, but was spaced far enough away that conversations didn’t intertwine.
The new set menu, which is part of Galvin’s annual ‘Summer Festival’, gives the option of enjoying two or three courses, priced at £49 and £55 per head respectively (excluding any drinks). It’s designed to provide an entry point to Michelin-starred cuisine, and offers an accessible alternative to the regular à la carte and the taster menus (which start at £130 per head).
There are six choices per stage of the meal, and while perusing the menu, we were presented with a couple of glasses of Galvin’s chilled in-house champagne, as well as some deliciously fresh seeded bread alongside a small bowl of rich and thick olive oil from Provence, accompanied by lightly salted butter.
To truly kickstart our palates into action, we sampled a delightful amuse-bouche served on a circular wooden board: a light tapioca cracker with a whisper of tomato chutney and a bean soufflé – a great taster of things to come.
Listed on the set menu is a good array of vegetarian, fish and carnivorous dishes, and for the opening course, there’s everything from Buffalo milk pannacotta with Oscietra caviar to Orkney scallop lasagne (which comes with an added price tag of £15).
I tried the trio of rolled and flavoursome pieces of light and sweet barbecued aubergine in an olive oil-type sauce, topped with a sprinkling of pine nuts, finely chopped morsels of Taggiasca olives, bell peppers and a small piece of lettuce for added garnish.
My other half headed for the equally impressive Heritage tomatoes (above), accompanied by an almond, saffron, and lavender accompaniment, finished with Datterini tomato halves and toasted focaccia crisps. One word – divine!
As you would expect from a Michelin-starred establishment, Galvin La Chapelle boasts an impressive wine list, as well as a thorough line-up of spirits and cocktails. To accompany our lunch, we sipped on a couple of mocktails, namely a relatively sugary “Tiki Taka” (£13), composed of Lyre’s rum, strawberry, peach and passion fruit purée, as well as lemon juice.
My dining partner tried the refreshing “Sunset” (also £13) – made from orange and pineapple juice, as well as grenadine and mint.
On to the mains – the “headline act” of the meal, and one of the standout sharing dishes on the menu is the £35 salt crusted Chateaubriand (a thick cut steak), which was served at an adjacent table amidst a touch of theatre, as the pastry gives way to a generous portion of piping hot meat.
With fish being a staple choice of mine, there are the likes of Cornish cod and wild halibut that are listed (there’s a £20 supplement here).
However, I went against the grain and tried something completely different in the form of potato gnocchi topped with in-season, pickled Scottish girolle mushrooms, samphire, and bright yellow segments of corn on the cob, on a creamy, rich truffle sauce base, to deliver a plate that was full of flavour and adequately filling.
My other half settled on another equally impressive carnivorous recipe – the beef brisket (above), doused in thick gravy, alongside potato terrine and grelot onion, some of which were there for added décor.
Dessert always takes some decisions when there are so many tasty treats on the menu, but without hesitation, I headed for a firm favourite – warm tarte tatin (above), composed of thinly sliced Pink Lady apple on a pastry base, amplified by some artistically-prepared chocolate crumbs, on which sat a helping of cooled crème fraiche.
My other half opted for the watermelon daiquiri cocktail-like dessert, served in a glass, which was an interesting composition, and had a slightly bitter Campari-esque edge to it.
In summary…
Galvin La Chapelle offers good old-school customer service, meticulous attention to detail, and exquisite gastronomy to match.
It is set to become even more popular thanks to the introduction of a fixed price menu for the summer season, which will no doubt appeal to those in search of a highly accessible route to Michelin-starred cuisine, exceptional value that can be enjoyed without the fear of a big bill at the end, subject to drinks choices, of course.
With a brilliant location in the heart of the City, this is the perfect menu to enjoy lunch at leisure or to entertain over a ‘power lunch’, and is the ideal venue to impress, and to be suitably impressed with the magnificent dishes crafted by the Galvin team.
Galvin La Chapelle – Where and How?
Galvin La Chapelle is located at 35 Spital Square, London E1 6DY, United Kingdom.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit: https://galvinrestaurants.com.
See highlights of our visit on the Luxurious Magazine Instagram page.
Photo credits: Patricia Niven / Simon Wittenberg.
Simon Wittenberg
Senior Editorial Contributor
Simon was born in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and is now based in London. He has been a senior editorial contributor at Luxurious Magazine since 2011.
Dining and Cooking