Comptoir Gascon

up_shiraz

A note on the service 27th September 2008

2 found this helpful

There's no doubt the food is good in the pretty little Smithfield deli/bar/restaurant. Toulouse sausages were meaty and satisfying. A duck breast was just a teency bit tough but was good value.

The wall of wine shop/corkage system is interesting and offers a great insight into South West France, but that's all. I know it's unfair but i found myself longing to be at Vinoteca just round the corner to take advantage of their wine list/wall of the Gods.

Where it can let itself down is with the service. We were turned away once for wanting just a glass of wine at the (empty) bar. On the other occasion servers were pretty frosty and inconsistent. I think we hit an 'end of shift' sort of area, which might explain this aberration, but it did ruin the overall effect. In such a culinary rich area, i might pop back to buy their delicious breads, patisserie and pates to take away, but i won't be sitting down.

sokratis

Mais, c’est fantastique 20th July 2008

2 found this helpful

Blink and you’ll miss the Comptoir Gascon. That would be a shame though, as this little bistro in one of the best, hidden gems in Farringdon. The place is tiny, with probably 25-30 covers that can be served at any one time and serves as a deli as well.
It’s frequently very busy. However, if you find yourself with another person and have not booked then ask the staff if you can eat at the bar, which is most often free. It makes for a much more intimate, romantic setting if that’s what you’re there for or a fantastic place to catch up with a friend over some hearty, French food, beautiful wine and a relaxed setting.
I had the oysters with chipolatas to start, which exploded with flavour, although I’d skip the chipolatas next time as they take away some of the freshness of the oyster. We shared some foie gras and as the Cooksister suggest it was superb. Seriously one of the best I’ve tried.
For mains we both had the Beef Onglet with Bordelaise sauce. I was intrigued by the name of the sauce and immediately thought of French debauchery and some interesting background about a Madame offering a special sauce for her clients. However, after a bit of research it turns that (rather disappointingly) Bordelaise refers to someone/thing that originates from the area of Bordeaux. The origin may be mundane, but I assure you the flavour is not. Bordelaise is made with red wine, bone marrow (a chunk of which was also present on the dish), shallots and a rich brown sauce called demi-glace (thank you Wikipedia). It’s rich, intense and will make you pause for a couple of seconds after you’ve put a bite in your mouth to really enjoy all those endorphins having a party in your brain. The meat was expectedly cooked a perfect medium-rare and was full of flavour.
Finally, I have to make a special mention for the chips, or French fries in this case. They were excellent, but the true superstar of the show was the ketchup. Apologies. Ketchup is too demeaning. This is the best chilly, 5-start, A+tomato sauce you can find. It’s Basque and called ‘BiPiA, Euskal Ketxupa, Bazk’ Ona’ . I have taken a picture of it, which you can see above and I’d strongly recommend trying it. Even if you’re not hungry go to Comptoir Gascon and order chips with ketchup.
Minor gripe about the place is that there is only one toilet for boys and girls and it’s a little bit too close to the dining area. I’m sure they would have changed that if they could, but the space does seem to be at a premium.
Next time you find yourself in Farringdon do try this place out. In fact make sure that you find yourself in Farringdon so that you do.

Sprotch

Quality food at good value 6th July 2008

4 found this helpful

Comptoire Gascon serves simple dishes from the South West of France. Although the simplicity of the food allows them to keep prices down, they use only top quality ingredients.

The result is a fantastic meal at a very reasonable price.

The atmosphere is a bit too "fake cafe" for myself. A cafe can be confortable too, no need to cram us on tables that are too small to impress.

Overall one of my favourite places in London.

Cooksister

Great French bistro food 12th May 2008

6 found this helpful

Visited Comptoir Gascon with friends recently, mainly because it is reputed to have serve best cassoulet in London. By day, this little brother to Club Gascon doubles as shop/artisan baker and restaurant, whereas at night the restaurant takes over. As the name suggests, the speciality is dishes from the Gascony region of Southwest France, a region famous for its foie gras, truffles and many ways of preparing duck.

It was fairly busy for a Saturday night in the City but not unpleasantly full or noisy. We began with a selection of starters to share: a bread selection including an intriguing wholewheat loaf with chunks of blue cheese in it and excellent butter; mackerel with orange zest and fontant potatoes; outstanding duck rillettes; and a glorious slab of foie gras. This was all washed down with an excellent Semillon from the very French wine list.

My cassoulet Toulousain was definitely the best I've had in London, with the proper gooeyness that comes from long, slow cooking together of the beans and meats. The confit duck may have been a touch dried out, though. The cassoulet I had in Toulouse still beats this one, but going to Comptoir Gascon is a lot cheaper than a weekend in France!

I finished with a rather average warm apple tart - next time I'll have the omelette Pyreneenne which was something akin to a baked Alaska, with a boozy prune hiding at the base.

At about £50 each (inluding 2 bottles of wine), prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food. Francophiles are in for a treat!

Wheely at 13/05/08

A good review this and gives me an idea for a day out in town. We 'coastal-yokels' enjoy a trip to 'the smoke' now and then !

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kellytron

Cute deli hidding a fantastic resturant 18th July 2007

5 found this helpful

While describing themselves as a deli, they also serve as a resturant that I adore and find any excuse to go back to.

While being well priced for the food (mains average £10-13) it has a cosy intimate atmosphere that makes it perfect for lazy dinners over a bottle of (also reasonably priced) wine.

Service is also lovely, despite feeling a little pressure to make up our minds on the last visit.

Mains are generous (although they seem to do the duck better than the rabbit in my opinion)and sides generous and super tasty. The starter of Piggy Treats is more of a Piggy Feast (and a baragin at £6ish)and stuffed the two of us easily.

I can't think of a bad thing to say about it and am currently looking for an excuse to go back. Is there a reason to celebrate July 18?