Looking into Studio Gauthier
What can you tell us about Studio Gauthier?
This is the latest restaurant from Alexis Gauthier, best known for his Michelin-starred restaurant Gauthier Soho. That fine-dining restaurant shifted towards being a plant-based restaurant back in 2018 and became fully vegan in 2021. it's still one of the most high-profile vegan restaurants in London and he's managed to attract some A-list vegan stars like Billie Eilish. Since then, the chef has gone on to open 123V in Fenwick in Mayfair where the focus is on vegan sushi.
Studio Gauthier has come about as an aim to bring some of the vegan dishes and experience of Gauthier Soho to a slightly more casual environment.
That's quite the oven. The chefs said that at Gauthier they're a little hidden from the action down in the basement. The whole open kitchen thing is very new to them. The kitchen brigade and most of the serving staff are all vegan.
Where is it?
Gauthier has teamed up with the BFI, who have their offices in Fitzrovia (it's about halfway between Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street).
The BFI had a restaurant there before, which was a Benugo-run cafe. So it's fair to say that this is a big step up for them. Much of the kitchen and restaurant left by Benugo remains the same, with certain elements like a huge oven and booths set up as they were before. Therefore most changes to the room are light, with the exception of the bakery up front, and if we were betting people we'd say the aim is to get things up and running first and we might see more of a refurb a little further down the line.
This is the bakery counter which becomes the bar in the evening.
You mentioned a bakery?
There are actually two elements to the restaurant. The main part is Studio Gauthier, but up at the front of the building, you'll also find 123V Bakery. This will be more of a daytime/lunch affair with salads (including a 1-hour bottomless option for £12) and toasted focaccia. The latter includes options like smoked Quorn salt "beef", brown NY mustard, mushrooms, vegan cheddar and gherkins (£6.50). That bakery turns into the main bar area in the evening.
So where should we sit?
There are some very distinct options on offer here. First off are the booths in front of the kitchen, which you can see in the photo above. Just at the back of that same photo you can just about see the more traditional seating.
Beyond that is their secret weapon - an extensive terrace that's set completely within a hidden courtyard, offering something of an oasis from nearby Tottenham Court Road. On a sunny day, that's absolutely where you'll want to sit. It was absolutely bucketing down when we visited so we don't actually have a photo of that...
So what can we expect from the food?
As mentioned, it's a fully vegan menu, but one that uses much of what has been learned on the fine dining side at Gauthier Soho. In fact, there's been a specific goal to bring some of the dishes from Soho to this restaurant, giving more people access to what the Soho kitchen has been capable of. The menu is split into small plates, sushi, larger plates and salads and dessert. You're really going to want at least something from every section.
Here's a taste of what's on offer.
With no butter, that's a damned good-looking brioche. It comes with a punchy piperade on the side (£3.50)
Coriander houmous which includes pineapple, jalapeño oil and comes with coriander sourdough (£6)
Vegan caviar has been a big thing at Gauthier Soho so they've brought it to the menu here too. It's black kelp caviar which they marinade in a brine developed in-house (£24)
A close-up of that impressive vegan caviar.
The sushi section is not to be missed. These are Crispy Rice ‘Green Dynamite’ with spicy tofu crab, guacamole, battered crispy rice, sriracha and jalapeño (three for £8)
This was probably the star of the show for us - the Pithivier D’Eté made with wild mushrooms and with a blackberry salad on the side (£26). This is yet another dish that was created for Soho, we're told it goes down very well with the meat-eaters visiting the restaurant. We can attest to that - this is an absolute must-have.
Graffiti aubergine with black sesame, cucumber, chilli and riz camarguais on the side (£21)
Strawberries with Meringue Lemon and Cream (£8.50). They tell us the meringue is a classic aquafaba meringue made with sugar, creme de tartar and with their own method of reduction to enhance the results. It's an impressively light meringue.
Another dish making its way from the Soho restaurant is the Dark Chocolate, filled with praline and mousse and topped with gold (£10). It's a little on the small size and dwarfed by the plate, but incredibly rich too.
What about drinks?
It has, of course, a fully vegan wine list - something that's a lot easier to put together these days than it has been in the past. Prices are decent - the entry-level is £29 for a Côtes de Gascogne red and white, although you can also splash out £90 on a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There's a cocktail list which features classics like margaritas and a negroni (plus a mezcal negroni) all for £12. In a nod to the BFI, all their signature cocktails are named after actresses, like this:
The Glenda Jackson - a Hibiscus vodka sour (£16)
At the time of writing, we thought the non-alcoholic options needed a little more attention, but we've since been told that more low/no alcohol options are being added. Therefore you're likely to see many more options in future.
Overall thoughts
Alexis Gauthier has been winning a lot of fans with his approach to plant-based and vegan cuisine. The decision to bring all that to a slightly more casual crowd seems like a no-brainer. The food is excellent, particularly that pithivier, and it's all pretty well priced too. It should be a big hit with both vegans and those who just occasionally like a meat-free affair.
More about Studio Gauthier
Where is it? 21 Stephen Street, London W1T 1LN
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit the website and follow the current restaurants @gauthierinsoho and @123vegan_w1.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Studio Gauthier. Prices correct at time of publication.
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