When I was young my brother was a chef and worked in several restaurants and hotels and my Mother was a cook in multiple staff canteens, so I suppose some of my earliest memories are from being around food. I was chief (or so I thought) pot washer aged 8 at a pub in our village, where my Mother was a waitress and my brother the head chef, so I would 'help out washing up' and get £5 a week from the owner, (the joys of a single parent family and life in the 80’s). Actually I think it provided me with a solid appreciation of work, the value of money and the buzz of the kitchen was exciting.
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I was exposed to one hospitality environment or another, and I’m convinced it influenced my inner need to entertain and work with people.
Unfortunately having two people that cooked for a living in my family, meant I was rarely encouraged to take part. The two times my brother did ask me to assist, it didn't end particularly well. The first was when I was asked to sample a clove of raw garlic, which probably sparked my love of this potent vegetable. The other was to hold a boiled egg straight out of the pan. Oh how we laughed as I felt the skin on my hand begin to burn! Needless to say that I didn't opt for him to continue his teachings.
I realise it sounds like I was an unloved child subjected to child labour and ill treated by my siblings, but I like to call it character building!
It wasn’t until moving away from home aged 18 that I began to cook and be guided and influenced by others. Many would think that University cuisine was pretty basic or consisted of regular take-aways, but life in west London wasn’t like that. My friends and I ate pretty well, but it is fair to say that I didn’t really bring much experience to our communal cooking, having to ask how the spaghetti would fit in the saucepan still remains a comedy highlight for them.
The reason I included dining at a Michelin Star restaurant on my 40to40 list, was because I wanted to experience food and hospitality that has received awards. I have been fortunate enough to dine at several restaurants which were endorsed by celebrity chefs on board cruise ships. These included Marco Pierre White's 'The White Room' and and the late Gary Rhodes 'Rhodes at the Curzon Room', so I am no stranger to fine dining but none of them were awarded Michelin stars - the definition of an outstanding restaurant.
Dining at Michelle Roux and Michelle Roux Junior's restaurant La Gavroche seems quite apt as french food has always seemed to be a part of my life. In my third year at university I was a waitress in a local french restaurant and carrying ten-ton mussel pots will be a nightmare forever embedded in my brain. I consistently forgot the essential cork mat for the pot to sit on, so would receive 'polite' reminders from the rather authoritarian manager who shared his thoughts with ease.
After leaving university I landed a job as a dancer in Paris and my memory of my first Parisian supermarket experience was certainly an eye- opening one.
Living in the UK in the late 90’s was not as varied with food culture as it is today, and the average British supermarket did not stock nearly as many international foods. As I walked the large aisles of ‘Auchan’, there were three things that I remember seeing from those early shopping trips, 'Pain, Fromage and Cheval'.
My language skills at that time were barely above the grade D that I gained at GCSE, but even that allowed me to be horrified by seeing a sign for horse in the supermarket. I may not have been a regular shopper of horsemeat but my world was certainly changed by cheese and not just any cheese, FRENCH CHEESE! At home in the UK our fridge only ever provided cheddar, and whilst I am partial to a slice or two of the mature variety, I don’t think France could survive on that alone. I don't think I was really aware before living in Paris, that the word cheese didn't just denote chedder.
Immediately entering La Gavroche you are given Michelin star service, with outstanding attention to detail. Our waitress greeted us immediately and gave the right amount of attention to not become annoying or overpowering. We later learnt that she was from Austria and had worked for Michelle Roux and Michelle Roux Jnr for fifteen years. It wasn’t until the third course that we realised she had a twin sister working there also, and not just super-efficient serving double the amount of tables.
Deciding from the wine menu was a lengthy task, but opting for a main course of a sharing lamb dish we settled on red. Being fans of Pinot Noir we managed to arrive at one that also suited our budget. There is a large range of wines but you should allow a minimum spend of £40. Our choice was guided a little by nostalgia and eventually arrived at a 2003 bottle of Leon Beyer Pinot Noir Comtes d'Eguisheim, because it was the year I lived in Paris. We are not wine connoisseurs as such, but in basic terms ‘we like what we like’. The wine really was amazing, but of course the ambience and food pairings all contributed to making the experience even more memorable.
My dessert choice was the soufflé with raspberry sorbet, which was excellent and inspired me to give it a go myself at some point. I am pleased looking back that we opted to celebrate my birthday early, as September may have to be a slightly watered down version due to Covid 19.
Not that this factored our decision when choosing which Michelin star restaurant to sample, but this french cuisine did not let us down. I was certainly in awe of their ‘cheese trolley’! Even those of you who would opt for sweet over savoury would have been impressed, with over thirty types of cheese being wheeled to the table, I'm sure you would have joined me with a cracker or two in hand.
Indulging in an evening at La Gavroche once again reminded me what it is like to have impeccable service. This restaurant however still has the intimate family feel of what you might expect from a small bistro down a cobbled street in Monmatre, Paris. I left the restaurant feeling like I was no longer in London and instead had spent several hours enjoying the romance of a hidden Parisian gem.
If you would like to see more food photos from our night at La Gavroche please head over to my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thejourneyjournalblog/