Club Gascon

Club Gascon
The exterior of Club Gascon
Restaurant information
Head chef	Andrew du Bourg
Chef	Pascal Aussignac
Food type	French cuisine
Rating	(Michelin Guide 2002)
Street address	57 West Smithfield
City	London
Country	England

Club Gascon is a restaurant located in London, England. As of 2008^[update], the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant was opened by Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie in September 1998, and serves French cuisine. In addition to its Michelin star, it has also won two Catey Awards.

Description

Opened by chef Pascal Aussignac and business partner Vincent Labeyrie in September 1998,^[1] the restaurant is located near St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield, London.^[2] 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.^[3] The dining area is one long narrow room, with large tables down one side and smaller tables elsewhere.^[2] 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.^[4] The restaurant is considered a forerunner of fine dining in its local area, which had since become popular with other restaurants appearing nearby.^[3]

Following the late-2000s financial crisis, Aussignac explained how the restaurant was affected, "People are eating more at their desk, they've cut down their budget," he said. "Only senior people are lunching at a restaurant ... We feel the credit crunch at lunchtime."^[5]

Reception

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.^[6] The New York Times recommended the restaurant in 2000.^[7] Jan Moir of the The Daily Telegraph reviewed the restaurant in February 2002, describing it as producing the "deep, velvety succulence of the flavours of south-west France".^[2] 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.^[1]

The restaurant won Best Newcomer at The Catey Awards in 1999, followed in 2002 by a Michelin star.^[3] 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).^[8] In 2007 it won a second Catey Award, this time for Restaurateur of the Year – Independent.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Vines, Richard (17 February 2006). "Club Gascon, Where Lunch Can Take All Afternoon: Richard Vines". Bloomberg L.P.. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aGOjV_hGMYsA&refer=culture. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Moir, Jan (16 February 2002). "Are you ready to order? This week: Club Gascon". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/3295592/Are-you-ready-to-order-This-week-Club-Gascon.html. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Wood, Joanne (12 July 2007). "Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie: Restaurateurs' profile". CatererSearch.com. http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/07/12/314897/pascal-aussignac-and-vincent-labeyrie-restaurateurs-profile.htm. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
4. ^ Deen, Mark; Katz, Alan (5 February 2008). "French making themselves at home in London". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/style/25iht-afrench.1.9495133.html. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
5. ^ Moya, Elena; Pamuk, Humeyra (10 June 2008). "British restaurants feel mid-market pinch". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/10/us-britain-squeeze-restaurants-idUSL2570173220080710. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
6. ^ Stacey, Caroline (7 November 1998). "Restaurants: All for one and one for all". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/restaurants-all-for-one-and-one-for-all-1183428.html. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
7. ^ "Sanctuaries of Surprise In the Heart of Old London". The New York Times. 24 December 2000. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/24/travel/sanctuaries-of-surprise-in-the-heart-of-old-london.html?pagewanted=7. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
8. ^ Vines, Richard (14 September 2007). "Fat Duck Pips Gordon Ramsay for Top Place in Good Food Guide". Bloomberg L.P.. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSk66MGKL8FY&refer=home. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 

Coordinates: 51°31′07″N 0°06′01″W / 51.5186°N 0.1003°W / 51.5186; -0.1003