Le Garrick Restaurant Review: French Classics at a Refurbished London Favourite

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – my favourite type of restaurant isn’t actually glamorous Michelin stars and molecular gastronomy. In fact it’s far from that and what I really love is family run restaurants which are full of charm and personality. They’re places which serve simple, but well executed food that comes from the heart. That ethos couldn’t be more true for Le Garrick in Covent Garden. Owned and run by husband and wife duo Dominika and Charles, the restaurant has recently just opened its doors after an extensive refurbishment and it’s looking rather fabulous.

Situated in the heart of Covent Garden, this quaint French brasserie serves up a menu full of familiar classic, but also original customer favourites which no wants to ever see leave the menu. The new refurbishment isn’t drastically different to before but very welcomed. Gold leaf dusted walls now take centre stage. The booths are lighter and feel roomier. Glass chandeliers twinkle around the room and even the bar as been moved back slightly to give more room for perching so we can all sip delicious red wine. Upstairs has been given a makeover too and again feels very cosy.

We started our French journey one cosy dark evening with my favourite dish from Le Garrick. Pan-seared calamari rings with a coriander, chilli and ginger sauce. Taking its influence and flavours from the Basque region – I love this dish every time I order it. Very well cooked squid and the fragrant ginger sings in the mouth. We also ordered some of Le Garrick’s smooth foie gras with crispy bread for smearing onto and side of home-made chutney.

Two words of warning when dining at Le Garrick – come hungry. In true typical French style they love to feed you and so value for me is always something you can guarantee. We tried one of the specials as our main course of grilled tiger prawns. A little messy but well worth the effort. Five very large and juicy prawns, smothered in a Mediterranean style tomato sauce and a side of fluffy rice for soaking up the leftover juices on the plate. Better still is something I always love to eat from the menu – steak. A gargantuan 14 oz chargrilled 28-day hung rib eye steak on the bone with fries and a side of béarnaise sauce. Smokey, medium-rare and delicious.

We barely had any room left for dessert, but being The Foodaholic I really couldn’t resist. A home-made lemon tart with crème fraiche and raspberry coulis. Quite possibly one of the best lemon tarts around and very indulgent. The base is firm and crumbly, while the middle is light and creamy and then blow-torched with sugar on the top for added flavour. A must order when eating at Le Garrick.

Once again Le Garrick satisfied all of our cravings and its warm hospitality left us wanting to come return. If Le Garrick wasn’t already central London’s best classic French brasserie – it’s even better now after its shiny new refurbishment with excellent looking new menus and brand new dishes to enjoy. Le Garrick – we’ll see you soon!