Galvin at Windows

[david goodfellow]

Down the shmoke this weekend and just enquired about a table for Sunday lunch.

I know its Valentines day so its a bit stupid of me perhaps to leave it so late to book but this place has been on my list for a while

Seems the only menu available is the menu prestige at £58 which looks ok, however they are raising the service charge to 15%

The only tables they have left are 12 to 12.30 with a two hour turn around

Plus they want confirmation by credit card

I am really worried about travelling across London as we are staying out West overnight and that two hour table time can quickly evaporate.

Going to give this one a miss this time I think, but watch this space for a future report.

On a brighter note, anybody been recently, or perhaps is going on Sunday who can post a review

[sunbeam]

We should always remember that it is Andre Garret in the kitchen, not Chris Galvin and it is very much Andre's menu these days.

I went for the credit crunch lunch a week or two back and it was excellent and excellent value. The menu prestige at £58 is a good deal too.

Of course it always helps the enjoyment if you get a window seat and so far I always have.

Personally Id never go anywhere on valentine's day, the wife and I prefer to cook something nice at home than play russian roulette in a restaurant, they all have problems on this day, possibly even Windows too

[david goodfellow]

Thanks for that update, a "Windows" seat is almost a prerequesite.

Our weekend visit has been put on hold. I like a no pressure dining event so hopefully we will put the kitchen to test in the coming weeks.

Perhaps a blow out home comfort meal is in order for us too

[david goodfellow]

Went for lunch yesterday, will write it up later if I get the chance.

[david goodfellow]

I remember as a young lad walking up Park Lane gazing up at the famous name hotels and in particular perusing the restaurant menus in glass and gold cases outside The Dorchester, Grosvenor House, Hilton, et al.

Even though I was ambitious, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would through hard work and good fortune be able to eat the food of Anton Mossiman(Dorchester) and Nico Ladenis.(Grosvenor House)

The Hilton is considered by many to be a blot on the landscape. Our Queen in particular will never step inside because she objected to its build because it overlooks Buckingham Palace.

The lift glides up to the twenty eighth floor in an instant to a small multi mirrored lobby which houses a cloakroom and ladies and gents toilets. We freshen up but I find that the gents is a bit of a let down, locked in a time warp perhaps from its build date circa 1965?

The original Twyfords urinals are out of kilter with the Duravit basins its very dull and unloved.

The dining room itself is quite a revelation, to the left of it is an impressive bar for pre and after dinner drinks.

Most of the seating is good especially the windows seats of course. A raised area in the middle of the room also looks comfortable.

A brigade of young mainly French staff parole the tables and as may be expected the service is exemplary. The meet and greet staff are particularly welcoming,its like entering your favorite club.

Three menus are on offer this lunchtime, gourmand, prestige, table d hote.

We are off tasting menus so looked at the prestige and only the Venison and perhaps the Turbot appeal, we had Pigeon the day before and nothing else jumped out.

This is what we had,

Mosaic of Cornfed Chicken, foie gras, Bayonne ham & confit celeriac, toasted pain de campagne.

Brandade& tartare of Cornish mackerel, beetroot carpaccio, braised leeks & Moutarde de Meaux.

Baked fillet of Cod, potato crust, buttered cockles & watercress sauce.

Braised Pork cheeks, pommes puree, braised turnips, cinnamon & clove scented jus.

Caramel poached baby Pear, milk puree & peanut ice cream.

Selection of seasonal cheese.

Petit fours.

The terrine was tasty enough, but lacked visual appeal, my Mackerel dish was more easy on the eye but the fish content was muted.

Bread was white and an olive (green and black) sourdough served with a fridge cold portion of butter

We had the Cod as an intermediate course at an extra charge which was thoughtfully plated for each of us.

Pretty looking dish this, flaky chunks of Cod sat on a bed of cabbage and vivid green watercress sauce, a small spike of cockles teased the taste buds and a sliver of crispy Cod skin topped the lot.

We both had the Pork cheeks, three of the same interspersed by the turnips, all propped up by the pommes. The jus was a thick tasty sauce decorated with some distracting chervil and the dish topped with some unannounced trompette de mort (mushroom)

The dessert was very pleasant indeed with some crunch in there and cubes of pear and sweet wine jelly making an appearance.

My cheese was a generous serving of, goats, cantal, camembert, roqufort plated with a few grapes, walnuts some more jelly (apricot) some micro herbs and a choice of crackers.

We don't normally take coffee but were served the petit fours, salted caramel, passion fruit, madagascan.

A jar full of extremely tasty marshmallows were also offered which we found hard to resist.

Considering the location, which is truly stunning, its hard to see where a profit margin is coming from especially as the lunch menu is a measly £25, I can only conclude the drink is where the margin is as our £33 bottle of wine would not be what we would normally spend as truth be told we are not serious drinkers.

When I booked the table I was again offered two spots 12.15 and 2.15 both of which I refused and stamped my feet until I had a phone call later in the day to accept a booking for 1 o clock. On arrival the restaurant was about one third full, however by 2.30 the place was virtually full, I think I understand the good business sense in trying to have two sittings so to speak but can't helpbut think a number of customers would be deterred

Having said that this is the sort of place that is easy to be smitten by once you savour what is on offer.

Considering the low entry fee to what can only be described as a true destintion restaurant its clear that you do not need to be rich or famous to look down on the minions below

Edited February 23, 2010 by david goodfellow (log)

[PoppySeedBagel]

We had lunch at G at W yesterday (Sunday) taking mini-PSB (sge 11) to ease the pain of returning to school today.

Like David I thought the set menu was superb value given the food the setting and the service. I couldn't fault the meal at all, except for some ill-advised white chocolate and olive oil ganache with the pudding. The food was sophisticated yet tasty, and beautifully presented. My main stood out - slow cooked belly pork in lovely sticky rich sauce with claims. Mini-PSB had sea bass and cuttle fish with pearl barley and parsley risotto, and cleared his plate. Mr PSB had a vegetarian feuilleté (sp?) which he said was good but I was enjoying my pork too much to demand a taste.

[Man]

We kicked off an intense London week with a perfect late Sunday lunch at Galvin at Windows today.

We were quite amazed at the precision of both cuisine and service in this rather large number operation (despite the bosses being neither in the kitchen nor in the front room, which goes to show the wonders a good, well-organised and well-led team can work).

All seating is nice, the room is very pleasant indeed, and we were happily munching our amuses in a 'second row' table, when we were offered to move to a table by the window which had become vacant. An offer we couldn't refuse.

It was a perfect lunch in a way. We liked everything from beginning to the very end: a San Marzano Gazpacho, a stunningly clear-flavoured flamed mackerel, an elegant duck dish on cherry jus, and a particuarly luscious Tonka bean pannacotta. But I'd like to single out this cod

which was cooked fantastically, translucent, moist and tender (skin wisely removed). The seasoning was bold. We often complain about dishes being over-salted. This dish is a lesson on the fact that it is not just a matter of sheer quantity of salt, and that much depends on the overall balance. The egg and the chicken jus somehow combined with the cod to provide a strong sensory attack that nonetheless remained, even for us, on the right side of the threshold. Impressive.

The service at GaW deserves all the reputation it has, and one should never forget how good Garret's cuisine is. At £45 for three courses, wine, water and coffee with petit fours, with that kind of view, in that kind of environment, what better value for money can one find at lunch in London?

PS: as I notice there is a certain lack of photos of Garret's dishes on the site, I am adding one to give a better idea of what to expect:

Edited July 24, 2011 by Man (log)

[sped98]

Booked in for sunday lunch 21st Aug, fingers crossed for a window seat.As for photos , ill be snapping for England so there`ll be plenty to post up....cant complain about poor lighting either.

Edited July 25, 2011 by sped98 (log)

[sped98]

Ok...so quite a few of you emailed me and recommended Galvin @ windows , how could i not try it after seeing those pics and visiting their website , the place looked awesome.Unfortunately Andre Garrett was away on holiday but the guys in the kitchen done him proud.All round thumbs up for the food , wonderful service , great Sommelier and the general relaxed atmosphere.Didnt get to meet Fred Siriex either so next time maybe.Ive written the full report up on my blog so wont parp on anymore.

Here`s some of the pics from the Summer tasting menu.The rest are on the blog and my flickr page.

Amuse bouche - A little shot of Tomato essence

Amuse bouche - Gougere with Black olive

Amuse bouche - Garden radish with spring onion and red pepper .

Cured south coast Mackerel , avocado puree , gooseberry and pickled cucumber.

Hand cut Cumbrian Steak tartare , Quail egg , Summer truffle and pickled Girolles.

Seared Scottish scallop , Razorclams , wild sea vegetables and Oyster emulsion.

Poached Cotswold wild chicken , Onion tart with Foie gras , spring garlic puree , English baby summer vegetables , Hazelnut Jus gras.

Fresh blueberry compote , Amalfi lemon custard , Macaron and Lemon Thyme foam.

English strawberries , Rosewater jelly , Fontainebleu and Jus de Fraise.

Selection of seasonal cheeses from La "Fromagerie"

This is what you`ll get if you order the "cheese for one" - A nice little selection of four cheeses , grapes and caramelised Walnuts..Oh and those beautiful hand made biscuits.

Chocolate Truffles and Fruit Jellies.

Galvin Marshmallows.

A quick look inside the kitchen to meet the chefs , nice set of guys , all took time out to say hello.

And finally what Galvin @ windows is famous for... The wonderful View over London.

[Gary Marshall]

good pics thanks,

have fancied a trip to windows since seeing garret's food on gbm, looks top drawer.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

"Cotswold wild chicken"

What is this?

[sped98]

Possible a relation of the Cotswold "White" chicken ha ha.Well spotted Margaret.