Third Time Lucky? Gauthier Soho - Soho, Tuesday August 21st, 2012

I'm a firm believer that eating is just about the most fun anyone can have. Good food is peerless in terms of the fine, finer and finest things in life. Contrary to what some people assume about me, I am not one for showiness or pretence when it comes to great food. I don't need to see words like 'jus' or 'reduction' on a menu: 'sauce' is just fine. But here's the kicker: it has to be good.

It sounds simple, but people seem to forget the basic reason we eat in restaurants: we want to be impressed. We want to enjoy ourselves. We want the simplest thing in life yet it can be the most difficult to find anywhere. Of course, it's easy to criticise (how else would I get by?); not many people can work in a professional kitchen turning out credible results night after night. I am no slouch behind a stove but as soon as I'm cooking for more than four, I tend to lose the plot. You might ask why that gives me the right to criticise anyone's cooking - fair point - but it's why I'm writing a blog and not trying to run AA Gill out of a job.

Nevertheless, I know food. I know what is good and I know what is not. Why? Because I trust my opinion. And I can express it in a written form that makes sense. As above: simple but difficult to execute well. (Again; free blog amongst thousands, not a broadsheet newspaper.) Anyway, where was I..? Gauthier Soho, right. Once a winner, then a loser, then a Michelin Star loser (and, yes, this is that 'review to come'...) making this the third trip in three years to the very French, very townhouse-y and very varied Soho hotspot in three years. Perhaps that's my point: I know what I'm talking about when it comes to this place.

With another year came another nicely-worded e-mail to their clientèle explaining that another tasting menu was half off to commemorate another year of being open, so we thought another trip - for better or worse - was worth a try. Now, it's important to note that, at the time of visiting, this place still had its Michelin Star. The wife and I were adamant this honour should not have been upheld following our dreadful visit the year before. However, said visit meant that anything passable was going to be an improvement from last time.

The tasting menu had been somewhat pared back to its original glory which filled us with confidence. What was even nicer was that we were seated in the same table we'd had on our first visit. Bread, canapés and pleasantries were taken care of, readying us for a thrash at the starter, a very close take on the dish we'd started with in 2010: foie gras (left). Pan-fried and served with roast apricot for texture, ginger marmalade for flavour and port reduction for appearance, it was not bad at all. The only change I would have made is to put something to cut through the liver a little more. It was good but all a little too similar.

Scallops were up next and I was so happy they'd learnt from the year before: no more one third of a scallop per portion: this was serious food served properly (right). Two bulging scallops served with girolle mushrooms, parsley sauce and something called 'coral dressing'. I'm not entirely sure what this is but whatever it is lent a great balance to the dish. The seafood was properly cooked, meaning the rest was as it should be: supporting the main event excellently.

Risotto was still there and this is one of those dishes that the wife and I coo over at every recollected memory. This time, though, truffles had gone. I would guess it had something to do with the cost but perhaps a shake-up was on the cards anyway. Summer cep mushroom risotto is no mean substitute and they had kept the brown butter and parmesan cheese too (left). Still texturally perfect, the mushroom flavour was intense within a superbly al dente bowl of rice. Honest, real dishes like this should be on Michelin-Starred menus throughout the country.

Next was sea bass with baby squid (right). This was verging dangerously close to the overcooked nightmare of the year before but it turned out to be far better executed, if not perfect. The fish itself was flavoursome if a touch on the dry side, but the courgette tempura added a delicious crisp variation. The black squid ink fish sauce added colour and visual appeal but did not really add much to the dish as a whole.

The meat course harked back to the original menu of the place and I was looking forward to this one (left). Piglet belly with glaze heritage carrot, leeks and a cherry jam was a perfect balance of flavours and textures. The pork floss sprinkled over the dish was a slightly Asian-style addition but it did help the taste of the meat. Unfortuately the whole thing was a little insubstantial. It didn't hit the highs of the original visit and it was achingly close to great, but just short.

The cheese interlude was a very nice aged comté with assorted chutneys; again a step back from the assortment of cheese we'd once enjoyed but nice enough. The fruit dessert followed, with raspberries, strawberries, sorbet and blancmange combining to make a milky, sweet, acidic and fruity bowl of strong, refreshing flavours (right). Sadly, the last dish was the Louis XV which is always wasted on me because of the hazlenut base and the rich praline (left). The appearance and execution were as good as ever but those nuts!

So, with my opening in mind, plus the third visit in three years, what does it all mean? Well, sufficed to say it was a world away from the terrible service and food we'd had the year before, but neither was it as good as the excellent first time we went here. Maybe we have finally reached the true Gauthier level after some two years of fine tuning.

I suppose the remaining question is: should it have kept its Michelin Star? My answer is no, so the guide guys have got it right for now. I don't think places this inconsistent deserve that sort of recognition. Could they win it back? Absolutely, if they iron out the over-booked evenings and settle on a menu that will bring everyone back time and again. This is not a bad restaurant, but it's far from at the top of the game. I'm happy to pay to eat there, but I still haven't paid full price because I don't think it would be worth the money.

Contradictions abound, but at the end of the day, they are on an upward curve. If I end up eating there again in the near future, I've no idea what the overall outcome will be. I hope they hit the heights they previously enjoyed, but I hope if they do, it's because of excellent food, service and atmosphere, not because they're a fancy French restaurant in a chic Soho townhouse.

Gauthier Soho