It is quite the milestone when a restaurant celebrates their 30th anniversary. On this particularly important year, Le Garrick has undergone a major revamp to give both their venue and the menu a welcome refresh. Le Garrick already has a trusted group of loyal followers with their regional French cuisine and even recipes that are directly passed down from previous generations.
The major renovation work has gone on downstairs; whilst they still have their famous cosy brick-layered caverns. Space has been made lighter with classy and discreet chandeliers, there are plenty of soft lighting dotted around the venue as well as a coat of new white paint in the key areas to help lighten up the downstairs basement area.
It is a wonderful story about how the owner met his wife whilst he visited the restaurant many years ago. She was a server at the time but he fell in love with both her and the restaurant, so much as that he has bought the restaurant and is now happily married.
The menu is very much a labour of love from the owner. They are plenty of classic dishes and some with a modern twist. We started with a plate of escargots de Bourgogne which very thoughtfully had a liberal spraying of lemon juice on top that really helped to counteract the greasiness of the garlic oil which is essential for this dish.
La Soupe à l’oignon had the requisite intense concentration of onion flavours and thankfully also vegetarian-friendly as some versions traditionally use beef broth. It came with the all important cheesy bread which was ideal for soaking in with the soup.
Main courses were the hearty, filling French variety with the spring vegetable risotto layered with indulgent amounts of parmesan shavings on top and the dish had a strong creamy texture.
An even more well-portioned dish was the authentique cassoulet de Toulouse; a real tradition from the Toulouse region, it had generous amounts of lingot beans with a variety of meats including duck confit, pork belly and Toulouse sausage. The flavours from the meat all soaked invitingly into the pool of beans, this was especially true from the sausage which contained tasty doses of pork, red wine and garlic.
Desserts are not always high on people’s agenda, however, their Tarte au citron is not to be missed. It had the perfect amount of moisture, citrusy notes and wasn’t overly sweet. It’s the kind of ideal dessert to share with a loved one on a date.
We look forward to revisiting Le Garrick again as they continue to pass many important milestones.
baldwin@townfish.com