On Thursday night I went to the launch of Galvin La Chapelle & Café de Luxe.
This is the third restaurant from the Galvin brothers – they already have a French bistro Galvin Bistro de Luxe at Baker Street, as well as the highly acclaimed Galvin at Windows, which overlooks Hyde Park from its 28th floor location. Ie. cracking views of London.
Despite this latest project launching a year behind schedule, they're clearly hoping to cash in on the city boys, as the site is seconds from Liverpool Street Station on Spital Square.
The building is pretty spectacular. Architects have added to the 19th Century Grade II listed building St Botolph's Hall, once home to Central Foundation Girls School.
The restaurant is divided into two sections – a fine dining room housed in the original building with a newly added mezzanine that fills half the space where showy dinners can eat looking out over the paupers below. A glass atrium joins the original space to a newly added bistro side of the restaurant.
Mirrors, worked metal, black furniture and large silver candelabras all take part to create a decadent look.
I consumed:
·Six oysters
·Two steak tartare on crisp bread
·One foie gras on artichoke
·One shredded duck on toast
·4,000 wasabi peanuts
·Too many glasses of champagne.
I'd forgotten how much I love champagne. It’s been a while. Paid for it on Friday though!
