Le Gavroche
{{short description|Restaurant in London, England}}
{{about|the restaurant in London|the sculpture|Les Gavroches}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox restaurant
| name = Le Gavroche
| logo = Le Gavroche logo.png
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| image = Le Gavroche 2008 06 19.jpg
| image_width =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map =
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| map_width =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| slogan =
| established = {{Start date|1967|04}}
| closed = {{End date|2024|01|13|df=y}}
| current-owner = Michel Roux Jr.
| head-chef = Rachel Humphrey
| food-type = French cuisine
| dress-code = Smart
| rating = {{Michelinstar|2}} (Michelin Guide)
{{rating|3|5}} AA Rosettes
| street-address = Upper Brook Street
| city = London
| postcode = W1K 7QR
| country = United Kingdom
| coordinates = {{coord|51|30|39|N|0|9|18|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| other-locations =
| other-information =
| website = {{URL|http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/|Official website}}
}}
Le Gavroche (The Urchin) was a restaurant at 43 Upper Brook Street in Mayfair, London. It was opened in April 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux at 61 Lower Sloane Street,{{cite news |last1=Roland |first1=William |title=Two French chefs move into Chelsea |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-two-french-chefs-move-i/163651722/ |work=Evening Standard |date=2 February 1967 |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com}} its premises until 1981. Albert's son Michel Roux Jr was the chef patron from 1991 until its closure in 2024. It was the first restaurant in the UK to be awarded three Michelin stars, which it held from 1982 to 1993.
The restaurant offered classical French food, although some dishes were more modern. Notable dishes included the Soufflé Suissesse (cheese soufflé baked on double cream); Le Caneton Gavroche (whole poached duck in a light consommé served with three sauces for two); and Omelette Rothschild.{{cite web|title=Menu Exceptionnel|url=http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/samplemenus.html|website=Le Gavroche|access-date=1 January 2018|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104144053/http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/samplemenus.html|url-status=dead}} Its name came from the character Gavroche in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.{{cite web |last1=Grimes |first1=William |title=Michel Roux, 78, Dies; Helped Bring French Cuisine to London |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/obituaries/michel-roux-dead.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=21 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401141648/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/obituaries/michel-roux-dead.html |archive-date=1 April 2023 |date=14 March 2020 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Roux Jr |first1=Michel |url=https://twitter.com/michelrouxjr/status/1089836542523293696 |title=Michel Roux Jr on X |website=Twitter |access-date=21 August 2023 |language=en |date=28 January 2019 |quote=Yes indeed. The theme continued in the 70s with Le Gamin and Le Poulbot restaurants}}
In August 2023, Michel Roux Jr. announced that the restaurant would close at the end of its lease in January 2024, after over 56 years of business.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/News/michel-roux-has-announced-the-closure-of-le-gavroche#/ |title= Michel Roux Jr has announced the closure of Le Gavroche |work=The Staff Canteen |access-date=18 August 2023}} The restaurant's final day of trading was on 13 January 2024.
Overview
Chefs who worked in the kitchen of Le Gavroche included Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffmann, Bryn Williams, Michael Smith and Monica Galetti.{{cite news |title=Gordon Ramsay shares emotional tribute to late mentor and 'legend' Albert Roux |url=https://www.insider.com/gordon-ramsay-pays-tribute-to-michelin-starred-chef-albert-roux-2021-1 |access-date=4 March 2023 |work=Insider |date=January 6, 2021}}
Albert's son Michel Roux Jr was the chef patron having taken over the running of the kitchen in 1991. Under his stewardship, Le Gavroche was consistently placed in Restaurant's Top 50. The Executive Chef was Rachel Humphrey and the Head Chef was Gaetano Farucci.{{cite web|title=The Team|url=http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/theteam.html|access-date=1 January 2018|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227040516/http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/theteam.html|url-status=dead}}
Le Gavroche was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having served the most expensive meal per head when three diners spent $20,945 on one meal (including cigars, spirits, and six bottles of wine costing $19,248) in September 1997.{{cn|date=January 2025}}
In 2008, Silvano Giraldin, Le Gavroche's General Manager, retired after 37 years working there. He remained as one of Le Gavroche's directors.{{cite news
|author=Kessler, Susan
|title=Tracing Giraldin's Tree
|url=http://www.zagat.com/Blog/Detail.aspx?SNP=NL&SCID=36&BLGID=17568
|work=Zagat
|date=15 January 2009 }} {{Dead link|date=March 2014}}
David Coulson, runner-up in the 2010 BBC series MasterChef: The Professionals, accepted an offer of employment from Michel Roux Jr during the final stages of the show and was to start work with Le Gavroche as chef de partie in January 2011.{{cite news
|title=Job with Roux for top chef
|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/job_with_roux_for_top_chef_1_2733750
|work=Sunderland Echo
|date=3 November 2010 }}
In November 2016, it emerged that some employees were being paid as little as £5.50 per hour. This was considerably less than the 2016 legal UK minimum wage of £7.20 per hour.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/nov/17/tv-chef-michel-roux-jr-paid-kitchen-staff-below-minimum-wage|title=TV chef Michel Roux Jr paid kitchen staff below minimum wage|first=Robert|last=Booth|date=17 November 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}} Since then, the restaurant became committed to review and increase wages and the time for which the restaurant was closed to reduce staff working hours.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/news/restaurant/le-gavroche-increases-salaries-for-staff-paid-under-minimum-wage|title=Le Gavroche increases salaries for staff paid...|date=17 November 2016|website=The Caterer}} The restaurant was also further disadvantaging staff by treating the service charge as restaurant revenue, and not a tip, as it is commonly believed to be.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/19/michel-roux-to-give-thousands-in-back-pay-to-le-gavroche-chefs|title=Michel Roux to give thousands in back pay to Le Gavroche chefs|date=19 December 2016|website=The Guardian}}
In August 2023, Michel Roux Jr announced that the restaurant would close at the end of its current lease in January 2024.{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Barney |title=Michel Roux Jr announces he is closing two-Michelin star restaurant Le Gavroche |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/restaurants/michel-roux-jr-le-gavroche-closing-soho-london-b1101662.html |access-date=18 August 2023 |work=Evening Standard |date=18 August 2023 |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/News/michel-roux-has-announced-the-closure-of-le-gavroche#/ |title= Michel Roux Jr has announced the closure of Le Gavroche |author=The Staff Canteen |access-date=18 August 2023}} The restaurant closed on 13 January 2024.
Ratings
In 1974, Le Gavroche was the first restaurant in the UK to receive a Michelin star and was the first British restaurant to receive two Michelin stars, this in 1977 while still at Lower Sloane Street. In 1982, after a move to the larger Upper Brook Street premises, it became the first restaurant in the UK to be awarded three stars. It retained this rating until 1993 when it lost a star as the Chef Patron formally changed from Albert Roux to his son. Regarding the loss of the third star Michel Roux Jr said "Certainly I would love three stars. I believe in the system and the recognition would be wonderful. But I am not cooking that style of food. There are dishes that are worthy of it but my style really doesn't suit that status."{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/news/restaurant/le-gavroche-at-forty|title=Le Gavroche at forty|date=31 May 2007|website=The Caterer}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Michelin stars in the UK}}
{{English cuisine}}
{{Restaurants in London}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavroche}}
Category:1967 establishments in England
Category:2024 disestablishments in England
Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster
Category:Defunct French restaurants in London
Category:Defunct Michelin-starred restaurants in London
Category:Restaurants established in 1967