Weekly Review: Cabotte
My new favourite place in the City.
In my Chat Over Lunch with Claire Thevenot, I delved into the difficulty of securing certification as a Master Sommelier. There are fewer than 300 around the world.
Cabotte is home to two of them. Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney founded Cabotte 8 years ago as a Burgundy-focused wine bar and restaurant. They were supported by investment from a dozen top-flight Burgundy wine producers.
They brought in Head Chef Edward Boarland, who trained at the Waterside Inn and spent time with Clare Smyth and Gordon Ramsay, so he knows his way around French cuisine.
They developed a bistro deluxe — the kind of place you could imagine visiting for lunch in Beaune, frequented by local winemakers and people in the trade. It has soft seating in the restaurant and a fantastic stand-up bar area that I imagine could get busy with wine lovers on a pleasant evening.
It is, in short, a wine lover’s paradise.
The wine list runs to more than 30 pages and boasts the most fantastic selection of Burgundies — both red and white — that I have seen in any restaurant. Even more impressively, there are choices at all sorts of price points. At a recent lunch, my friend and I enjoyed a 2023 Premier Cru Chablis from Montmains for a very reasonable £70. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a 1992 Charmes Premier Cru by Domaine des Comtes Lafon for £950. For the truly wine indoctrinated, there’s a whole page of Riesling. And I haven’t talked about the reds yet.
Not up for a whole bottle over lunch? No problem. Cabotte has you covered with a stunning range of by-the-glass choices.
The food delivers, too.
There was a warm-up round of gougeres made from Comte cheese. Lovely bits of tangy cheesiness.
I started with foie gras ravioli. There was a “truffle emulsion & Madiera jus.” The pasta was thin. The foie was creamy. The sauce was warm, buttery, nutty, and oh so rich. Unprompted, our waiter brought a spoon and bread. Not a single drop or morsel went back to the kitchen.
My main was Cornish stonebass with a courgette and basil purée. There were delicate little datterini tomatoes, just blanched, peeled, and sauced with a little warm oil. And there was an olive tapenade that delivered a pleasant saltiness to compliment the fish. It was excellent.
For dessert, my friend was eager to try the apple tarte tatin, which comes as one to share. As we ordered, our waitress warned us, “It’s really big.” We elected to press on anyway. For the record, it was big. Easily enough to serve three people and probably four.
It was also well made and delicious. The balance between sweet, spice, and caramel was excellent. And the pastry was thin and not too limp from the sauce.
Service throughout lunch was fabulous. Attentive. Occasional funny. Always on the ball.
All of this makes Cabotte my new favourite place in the City.
I still love Luc’s, Goodman’s, and Sweetings. But Luc’s is old school. Goodman’s is meaty. And Sweetings isn’t comfortable for everyone.
Cabotte caters to all, with delicious food, great wine, and a fantastic atmosphere.
Quick hit: It caters to all, with delicious food, great wine, and a fantastic atmosphere.
Details: Booking essential. City. £££.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram and from Michelin.
Find it on Google Maps. 48 Gresham St, EC2V 7AY.
Thanks for reading this week’s review. Been to Cabotte? Any other good City spots? Tell me in the Comments. And please do subscribe if you haven’t already.