Gastronhome

We’ve found our home on London’s Lavender Hill. Gastronhome – defined as the art of selecting, preparing, serving and enjoying fine food in a homely environment – is a cosy restaurant and kitchen that specialises in serving fantastic French cuisine matched with superb wines. The reviews are already pouring in, and the prevailing mood is that diners are astonished to find such a well-kept secret in Clapham. Undoubtedly, Gastronhome deserves a wider audience.

The passionate men behind Gastronhome are Damien Fremont and Chris Nespoux, a duo whose yen for traditional and regional French cuisine, prepared with a deft and modern touch, has found full expression at this Lavender Hill restaurant. Fremont hails from Normandy in northwest France and previously worked as commis chef under the Ritz Club’s Philippe Vandewalle, as chef de partie at the Michelin-starred l’Etrier, and at London’s Bistrot Bruno Loubet. He also took first place at the Escoffier nationals, finally gaining third place internationally. Together with Nespoux’s additional expertise as a sommelier, it’s obvious that this Clapham restaurant has some serious credentials – let’s turn to the a la carte menu (three courses by default, but with a five course tasting menu available, each course matched with wine).

Gastronhome’s menus are seasonal affairs, as one should expect if one can expect to be served only the finest of French cuisine. Sampling their May / June 2015 offering, we see a restrained (minutely considered and taste-tested) selection over three courses. A single scrambled duck’s egg with ceps mushrooms, Loire valley asparagus and a wild garlic and truffle dressing is one fantastic (and vegetarian) way to begin your banquet at this eatery. Moving to les plats, two out of four are seafood dishes: seabream tartare and exquisite native scallops. For dessert the adventurous and less sweet-toothed will probably go for the selection of French cheeses. Throughout, this London French restaurant uses the finest of French produce, with British supplies brought in when the requirements of freshness trump the interests of Gallic authenticity. For lovers of French cuisine, Gastronhome is like coming home – it’s an unmissable gem on Clapham’s Lavender Hill.