I first came across Eric Chavot on a saturday morning while sitting in my parents kitchen. He was one of the chefs on Saturday Kitchen and instantly impressed. He was your typical no-nonsense French chef, he was funny and was wearing a flat cap! At this point both me and my sister turned to each other and said, we have to go to his restaurant.
Now Chavot is relatively unknown when it comes to Celebrity Chefs, he is very low-key and gained a Michelin star when working at the Capital but left there in 2009 to work with Pierre Koffman at a pop up at Selfridges. In 2013 the eponymous Brasserie Chavot was launched on Conduit Street and is part of the Westbury Hotel.
It took us almost a year to get ourselves sorted but eventually a table was booked at Brasserie Chavot, for my birthday no less, and on a hot summer Tuesday evening we headed to Brasserie Chavot.
Now of course building something up in your head can end up disappointing, but thank goodness this didn’t. From the moment you step inside you are greeted with excellent service, the staff were friendly and welcoming and completely attentive the entire evening. You couldnt fault the staff and their impeccable service at all. The treat was that Eric Chavot was actually cooking in his own kitchen! He wandered out occasionally to say hello to the odd customer.
The food, the main star of any restaurant, was fantastic. Beautifully presented and full of flavour. To start we went with soft shell crab which had been deep fried and served simply with aioli, and chacuterie. The soft shell crab was light and not in the least bit greasy. The batter had flavour but didn’t overpower the crab. The chacuterie was beautiful presented and each meat on the board offered something different.
soft shell crab and aioli
Chacuterie
To follow I went with the canette aux cerises et macaroni. A succulent duck breast perfectly cooked, in a sweet yet slightly sour cherry sauce with a decadent truffle laced macaroni and cheese. My sister went with roasted cod with peas a la francaise, which was just the perfect summer dish. A thick piece of cod on a bed of peas, bacon and vegetables in a creamy sauce. Both dishes were the perfect size, bursting with flavour and colour and presented elegantly.
canette aux cerises et macaroni
roasted cod with peas a la francaise
To finish I went oh so traditionally french and had a rich and sugary creme brulee, which was lovely and my sister had the desert of the day, a peach parfait with sorbet.
Creme Brulee
Peach Parfait
Throughout the whole meal you just couldn’t fault a thing, well other than how much we had just eaten…. but it was so good! The atmosphere, thanks to the delightful French waiters and food, made it feel like you could have been in a beautiful Parisian brasserie and not a 5 minute walk from Regent Street. I think Brasserie Chavot has quickly gone straight into the top of the my favourite restaurants, it can jostle for first place with Le Gavroche! I would certainly return here without a second thought.
theambitioustraveller 