Address: 57 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS

Telephone number: 0207 796 0600

Website: www.clubgascon.com/index2.php 

Date of visit: 5 March 2010

Approximate cost per head: £30

Comments on wine list/beer: Very up market and extensive and expensive list. Mark up at top end approx 300%

Summary:

Around Smithfield Market, Pascal Aussignac has set up several outlets for his Gascony cooking. Club Gascon is his flagship with one Michelin star.

Upon entry, I noticed that the place was decorated in black and white (art deco?) and fairly small. There is reasonable space between the tables.

They offered a set lunch as well as a la carte.

We had the set meal – 2 courses at £22, 3 courses £28

As soon as we sat down, a block of butter and a dollop of tapenade appeared on the table – the bread never came. We had to ask for it and it was served bread after the starters arrived and they did not offer seconds.

The food we had is best described as possibly  “Nuevo Atkins” – very highly decorated but low on carb and vegetables.

For starters we had duck served several ways. This turned out to be a large morsel of medium cooked breast, a heart and some duck pate. The three bits came on an oblong plate with a “brown” intensive sauce off set by “waves” of green which turned out to be pea puree. It was very visual and tasty – I just about had enough bread (my single roll) with my “pate”. My cousin had the ravioli with salsify and truffle juice. This came on a large white plate with a “indent” in the middle which contained the food. He liked it.

For the main course, we all had the onglet steak. This is the piece of muscle that “squeezes” the bladder. Its lean, has good texture and is very tasty – I always go for it when it is available. Note, there should be no fat on this steak. If you see any fat dispersed within the muscle, then they are serving skirt steak disguised as onglet . The taste is the same but the texture is different. This was served with a red cabbage mash.

Overall the dining experience was excellent except for the smallish portions – you will need to fill yourself with bread. But, they are reluctant to serve bead.

We also had a bottle of Ch de Pez 2005 at £51. It was one of the cheaper reds. You could probably buy one at around £15 from a wine merchant.

They also have an a la caret menu (with few choices) and a gastronomic set meal at £88.

M Aussignac also offer signed copies of his cookbook – Cuisinier Gascon – at his restaurants. All I can say is that most of his cooking are highly complex and is not easy to reproduce for a dinner party. It’s great fun if you have a free afternoon to experiment.

Eddie

Address: 1 Forbury Square, Reading, RG 13BB

Telephone number: 0118 957 4044

Website: www.Forburys.com 

Date of visit:  20 February 2010

Approximate cost per head: set meal (Lunch: £11.95 for 2 courses, £15.95 for 3 courses. Evening: £21 for 3 courses – not available after 7.15 on sat) a la carte about £40 for 3 courses.

Comments on wine list/beer: Really comprehensive and up market list. Good Sommelier (take his recommendations) be prepared to pay £50 plus for a reasonable bottle.

Summary:

This restaurant is now well established as probably the premier place to eat within central Reading. The other place being the Forbury Hotel – not related..

The restaurant is housed in a modern building that also housed the Reading Branch of IOD. The room is modern with tables well spaced apart. The walls are decorated by posters of the label of famous wines. They have a private room – a long table that can sit 20+. During the warmer days, they have outside tables.

Parking is available under the building but entrance is via Albert Square from Kings Road.

The evening we went, we started with a 1999 Rioja Blanco (Vina Gravonia) which was slightly brown in colour because of the age and still tasted very fresh and full of citrus. We then had a bottle of 2000 St Estephe – Le Tour de Pez (£65). Apparently, this is a new wine and is not on the list on the web site. This wine turned out to be an excellent wine and is without doubt the best red wine (less than £100) I had in a restaurant for many years. Forbury’s is famous for its wine list and has won many awards.

There was a choice of bread – white or walnut. The walnut was good but our first serving of it was cold. The second serving was warm. We were given a freebie of cream of orange and carrot soup. The orange taste was light and it worked well.

To start with, some of us had the scallops which were cooked just right – you get 3 scallops served on a black slate with a green pea puree as sauce and a few deep fried black pudding. The others had confit of salmon. This was cooked at probably around 40C as the texture was the same as smoked salmon. I had a taste of the salmon which was like a “rich” smoke salmon without the smoke. The starters were priced at £12 plus.

For main course, we had the chateaubriand with chips (for 2) at £63, venison stew, brill and pig’s trotters, all priced at under £20. By the way, if you like your veg, you will need to side orders in this restaurant.

The brill was pronounced as slightly on the dry side and was one small piece of fish served with small cuts of potatoes, spinach and celery – very nuevo cuisine.

The chateaubriand  (medium) was pronounced as a triumph in both the state of the steak and the chips. One of the diners asked for broccoli instead of peas with her steak and they forgot that – it arrived half way through her meal.

The venison and the pig’s trotters were both served with a heavily reduced sauce. The venison was cooked more rare than pink. The trotter (de-boned) has been on their menu ever since the restaurant came into being. However, it has gone through different transformations. This version with mash potato and mushroom was the best version yet.

For desert, we had the chocolate fondant and the lemon soufflé. All deserts are priced at around £10. All proclaimed that the desert was the best dish yet – I didn’t try any as I am not into deserts.

In all we paid just over £400 (incl service) for 5 and everyone had a good time. Service was excellent without being intrusive. This place has maintained its high standard for many years.

The owner remembered me – although I have not been for at least 2 years. This is probably because when I worked in Reading, I took my whole department  (around 150 people) down there for their Xmas dinner and we rang up a bar bill in excess of £5000 (thank god, the business paid). I have to admit that I was in shock for the next month.

Eddie

PS Guardian/Observer did a review on this place:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/forburys-reading-restaurant-review