What: A vegan restaurant occupying the ground floor space within the British Film Institute screening and office building in Stephen Street, just off London’s Tottenham Court Road. Studio Gauthier offers a short ‘bistro-ish’ menu that combines the cuisine of Southern France with influences from all over the world.
Who: As the name suggests, the restaurant is the latest project from now exclusively plant-based chef Alexis Gauthier. The Avignon-born chef made his name in meat-serving restaurants but has gradually moved away from animal products over the years having become a fully-fledged vegan himself in 2016 after being diagnosed with a fatty liver (which was ironic at the time as one of his most famous dishes involved foie gras). Studio Gauthier is the first restaurant to bear the chef’s name since the launch of his fine dining restaurant Gauthier Soho some 13 years ago. He also runs the more casual 123V and 123V Sushi in Mayfair’s Fenwick department store.
The vibe: The large open plan space houses a colour popping cafe at the front which doubles as the bar at night, with a large marble open kitchen boasting a huge brass bread oven. Design details include green velvet booths, polished concrete and tones of faded peach, Naples yellow and dusty pink that are ‘unmistakably West Coast’. The site is also home to Gauthier’s 123V Bakery, a more casual offering servicing the Fitzrovia work lunch crowd, and a large, elevated private terrace that gets the sun all day.
On the menu: Gauthier believes that being a vegan chef is liberating because he gets to work with “a blank canvas, which thankfully is not shackled to traditions.” The menu is highly creative, featuring some of the dishes that have made his Soho flagship the UK’s most renowned vegan establishment including a new version of his famous ‘Faux’ Gras dish and his proprietary Gauthier Caviar. Other dishes include tomato tortellino with light basil broth, sage tempura; swiss chard pastis with saffron and garlic; and pithivier d’eté - a decadent ‘summer pie’ of wild mushrooms in a deep, rich jus. From early next month, the restaurant will offer a seven-course tasting menu for £65.
To drink: Cocktails include the Celia Johnson (tequila, peach puree, lemon juice, aquafaba, syrup); and the Glenda Jackson (vodka, lemon juice, hibiscus syrup). Naturally, all the wines are vegan.
And another thing: At a time when many vegan brands are going backwards rather than forwards, it’s good to see someone having success in the space. Gauthier has done a brilliant job of making plant-based food glamorous and relevant to people that do sometimes eat animal products. Chapeau, chef!
BFI Building, 21 Stephen St, London W1T 1LN
