Club Gascon

Famous as one of the best places to eat duck and foie gras since opening in 1998, Club Gascon is moving with the low-waste and sustainable times, re-opening from a refurb with a ‘Garden’ section of the menu featuring six veg-focused starters and mains. Rest assured, however, that if slow-cooked egg with plankton, seaweed and bitter leaves doesn’t float your boat, all things duck still form the core of the menu – and are far and away the best things to eat here, foie gras especially: a smooth-as-butter terrine served with banyuls, fig and Argan oil to start or, spectacularly, served with a Bailey’s and mandarin sauce for pudding, beguilingly sweet and savoury; thick lobes of pan-fried foie gras sitting under a shell crammed with razor clams is another flavour bomb. Non-ducky options such as roasted sturgeon with leeks, bone marrow and Craster sauce, and roast grouse with popcorn, Guinness and oyster sauce seemed less appealingly individual and more fine-dining-by-numbers, but a kitchen that excels with pudding ensures things end on a high note, from a pre-dessert variation on prunes and Armagnac that left us wanting much, much more to a ‘millionaire’ dessert made from 72% Colombian chocolate with black olive, lemon gel and thyme ice cream, so rich it demanded to be savoured slowly. Eye-opening wine matching remains a strength, while the restaurant’s new look has a timeless modernity that should last for another 20 years. 

Club Gascon is a Michelin-starred, contemporary French restaurant and has been a Clerkenwell stalwart since its opening back in 1998. Its founders, Chef Pascal Aussignac and business partner Vincent Labeyrie, met in Paris in the mid nineties and after both relocating to London, started their restaurant empire which today includes Club Gascon, Cigalon and Baranis. 

Club Gascon is heavily inspired by the Gascony region of southwest France encompassing Bordeaux to the North, Bayonne to the West and Toulouse to the South and the kitchen uses the freshest ingredients to evoke the flavours of these locations with an innovative, modern twist. 

The restaurant offers a selection of menus; Pascal's Le Marché tasting menu highlights the best seasonal produce from across the UK and France, and comes in eight or six courses, with a wine pairing available. Here, you can expect to see dishes such as glazed white asparagus with citrus camouflage and liquid croquette; veal brain meuniere with sea urchin, yuzu and radishes; as well as middle white pork ballotine, turnip gratin and grilled sardines chantilly. 

The weekday four-course menu allows diners to try some of the chef's signature dishes in a more relaxed way. Guests are greeted with a house cocktail on arrival, followed by an amuse-bouche, a choice of two starters and main courses, plus a cheese course, dessert and mignardises. While the selection changes regularly, dishes which have featured in the past include rabbit ballotine, turnip gratin, wild garlic and lardo sardines chantilly; as well as super green stuffed tulip with quinoa, plankton, puntarella and vin jaune; and rhubarb and tonka moulleux with rose ardant and crispy milk. 

The wine list has been curated to reflect the breadth of bottles available across the south of France, highlighting both well known wine producers and hidden gems that you might not have heard of. From exclusive vintages to house favourites, there's something for everyone.