Le Gateau Review
From Moscowiki
| Le Gateau |
Cuisine: Cafes, French
Address: Paveletskaya pl., 2, str. 1
Metro: Paveletskaya
Tel: 937-0532
E-mail: legateau@legateau.ru
Web: www.legateau.ru
Open From 08:00 until 01:00.
All major credit cards are accepted.
By Polly Dented
I misjudged Le Gateau right off the bat by thinking it was going to be some fancy-schmancy, swanky French place with escargot and another sushi menu. I was relieved to find out I was wrong. The restaurant/cafe actually has a very laid back atmosphere and a menu that is short, sweet and has something for everyone, from foie gras and oysters to ham and cheese sandwiches.
Although we weren’t able to try it, some may be interested to know that Le Gateau also serves breakfast (from 9am-12pm) and a business lunch (165Rbs for soup and salad and 280Rbs for soup or salad plus an entree, side dish and juice). The menu also includes appetizers (featuring fine de claire oysters at 85-510Rbs, two foie gras options at 235-390Rbs), four choices of soup (including pumpkin!) ranging from what I believe was 90-125Rbs, a selection of sandwiches all at 120Rbs each, a selection of entrees, and a long and tempting list of desserts (35-195Rbs).
The interior is dimly-lit, more so than I would have expected from a typical cafe. The result is a quiet, cozy atmosphere. The color scheme at the location we visited (Tsvetnoy Bulvar) is a dark red / burgundy, complete with checkered floors. There is a bar (with a glass case so you can check out some of the desserts) in the center of the room, and most tables are lined up against windows facing the garden ring. Mr Polly noted that it was surprisingly quiet inside the restaurant despite being so close to the road. The design is clean and simple, and the walls were decked out with a collection of black and white photos (in addition to the holiday decorations).
For appetizers, we decided to try Le Gateau’s version of beef carpaccio (195Rbs) and the cheese plate, featuring a selection of French cheeses (275Rbs). I also ordered the gourmet green salad with Roquefort, roasted walnuts and pear (250Rbs) and Mr Polly got the cream of mushroom soup (125Rbs). The carpaccio was very tasty, but could have done with a tad less balsamic. The cheese plate came with samples of five different cheeses (bleu, brie, camembert among them) with grapes and walnuts. While the salad was lovely, it could have been made infinitely lovelier had there been any discernable dressing. Mr Polly’s cream of mushroom soup was not a puree as he had expected, and not particularly ‘cream-of-y.’ It was, nevertheless, quite good and he enjoyed it. The presentation for all of these dishes was very nicely done.
When we first entered Le Gateau, I was sort of disappointed by the music, which was yet again your typical kiosk techno-pop. I managed to more or less tune it out, as we have all learned to do, only to discover that we were going to be treated to live music performed by a magical pony-tailed duo. One pony male played the guitar, and the other switched between some faux-accordion and the flute. At least once during a flute moment, I was reminded of the flute scene from Anchorman. (There were no pyrotechnics, however.) Although it certainly added to the cafe-ness of the experience, it somehow felt a little wrong, a little too Berkeley, and now I am not sure which is worse: kiosk techno-pop or a live pony male duo.
The service throughout the evening was very good, very attentive but unmistakably borderline ‘hovery,’ which Mr Polly thought might have been because of the ‘review factor.’ The only other thing that was a slight nuisance was the occasional presence of the Ubiquitous Mopper, who must come and mop immediately in your dining area despite the fact that the room is dimly-lit and the place is not packed with people dragging their muddy boots about the floor. The Ubiquitous Mopper made only a few appearances that evening, but I can’t help but think the whole Le Gateau experience might be a little more satisfying without her.
Our entrees came next – I had ordered the beef fillet medallions with green beans and mashed potatoes (390Rbs) and Mr Polly had chosen the beef stroganoff with rice (320Rbs). Considering the price, the presentation was outstanding. I was particularly impressed with the green beans, which came tied up nicely in a bunch by another green bean. Both of our entrees came with rich, flavorful sauces and tender beef. Although I was too full to finish my entire entree, we knew that a dessert must be had, what with the very wide selection of desserts on the menu. Our waitress led Mr Polly to the bar where he got a glimpse of some of the desserts and made his choice, a slice of chocolate rum cake. I only had a bite, but it was very rich, very chocolate-y and probably a perfect way to sate your chocoholic urges.
Le Gateau’s drinks menu offers one draught beer (Budweiser) at 85-135Rbs, with a small selection of bottled beers. There is also a selection of standard cocktails (160-240Rbs) and well drinks, and a fairly large list of available wines (mostly by the bottle, it seems).
Overall, we had a very nice experience at Le Gateau and now that the pretentious price suspicious has been debunked, we will probably drop in again for a visit when in the neighborhood. Le Gateau is a nice place for a snack, a full meal or an after-dinner stop for some coffee (or wine!) and desserts, with pleasant service, a pleasant atmosphere, tasty foods and prices that were indeed a pleasant surprise.
24.12.04.
