Club Gascon

Club Gascon Restaurant Review:

Chef Pascal Aussignac created a small corner of France in Smithfield. Club Gascon came first in 1998, followed by Cellar Gascon (a glorious wine bar now dubbed Le Bar), the gourmet bistro and deli Le Comptoir Gascon, and others. Club Gascon remains one of London’s top venues, offering originality and outstanding cooking. It's a joy to find somewhere devoted to the rich, earthy regional delicacies for which Gascony is famous. The menu is not structured conventionally but is divided into main ingredients. Who could resist duck carpaccio with truffle and crispy artichoke; a smoked eel cassoulet with pearl barley and mullet roe shavings; or venison loin with sweet artichoke, violet and blueberries? Chips cooked in duck fat can be outrageously good. Another attraction is the delightful setting just off Smithfield meat market. Wines are mostly resolutely regional and often unusually powerful reds.