Farewell to Le Gavroche
From left: Andrew Charman from Le Marché; executive chef Rachel Humphrey from Le Gavroche; Marcus Rowlerson from Le Marché.
The closure of Le Gavroche was a sad moment - but done with great style. We were guests at one of the final dinners which was arranged for suppliers of the restaurant. The menu included dishes such as poached Dover sole with a brandy lobster sauce.
“He could have just closed the doors,” explained Marcus from Le Marché. “It was a brilliant experience. It was so nice to see all the suppliers there from over the decades - and for them to give that back. It was a chef’s restaurant. But more than just a restaurant. Touching the door handle you could feel all that history.”
The picture above shows Rachel Humphreys, who rose to the position of Executive Chef. “Working at Le Gavroche was an amazing experience,” she says. “My association started almost 30 years ago and to be able to go from apprentice to exec chef during that time was very special.”
Her favourite dishes on the menu? Roast turbot on the bone, with puree and ribbons of celeriac, bbq maitake mushrooms and smoked bacon. For dessert, vanilla shortbread, pear sabayon mousse and blueberry sorbet.
Rachel said: “Our customers expect the very best from us and we therefore need to expect the best quality from our suppliers. To be able to take the best ingredients and let them shine is very important.”
