Eric Chavot's outsize appearance belies a dainty touch with ingredients and a flair for flavour. Our chef-critic salutes a master technician – if not one you'd want to come up against in a fight…
Photographs by Matt Munro
Mr Ishii says…
"I took my daughter to The Capital, which is a very nice hotel," says MPW's special assistant. "I had a good feeling there and I went straight to the toilet. I am pleased to report that the toilet is charming and very clean too. They had little sweets in there, a bottle of mineral water and glasses on a nice tray. Whether in a restaurant or an office you should always judge people by their toilet."
Let me tell you about Eric Chavot. He's french, he's 30 years old, and he's the sort of person you'd want by your side – and on your side – in a dark alley. Because he's big, is Eric. In fact, I'd go as far as saying he's a bit of a brute, in appearance at least. From the look of him, you might be surprised at the delicate plates of food that come out of his kitchen. But he's a brute with a gentle touch, and actually seeing Eric cook is a revelation. It's a bit like watching the Incredible Hulk pirouette, or Big Daddy knitting.
And he's a proper chef. You know, the kind who actually cooks. Not the kind who parades his talents on TV, but forgets to spend any time in the kitchen of a restaurant named after him. Eric did have such a restaurant – Chavot in Fulham; funnily enough, he actually cooked there too. And in 1999, he was big enough to take on the head chef's role in a place that didn't bear his name, the restaurant in the Knightsbridge hotel The Capital.
But to the food. I started with a salad of beetroot with goat's cheese, middle left. It was very fresh and well done; it reminded me of the sort of food served by Pierre Gagnaire, one of France's most famous chefs. Eric's salad reminded me of Pierre because of what they both achieve with cold food. When food is cold you can focus on detail. Hot food needs to be simple, otherwise by the time you've finished faffing around with it, it's cold. Think about that next time a complicated main-course dish arrives a little too tepid.
Next up was pan-fried foie gras with passion fruit, top right. The sharpness of the fruit was a perfect balance for the liver, which was made all the sweeter by being cooked in chocolate. This
dish was new to me and showed how Eric can combine technique with flavour. Gordon Ramsay once told me he was turned on by the technical side of gastronomy. I replied that lots of chefs were, but what has technicality got to do with flavour? How many times have you been to a restaurant where the food is technically fabulous but there's no real flavour?
At least this isn't a problem here. My next course was black pudding with scallops, a classic combination that Eric takes to another level. And then came a delicious roasted veal cutlet in a truffle sauce. Cooked to pink perfection, it demonstrated Eric's talent to produce consistent quality throughout the meal. Until, that is, we came to the cheese.
The crowded cheeseboard, bottom right, looked like a collection of blown-out buildings in Beirut. Will people never learn? I remember, years ago in one of my kitchens, taking exception to our cheeseboard and, to teach the person in charge a lesson, throwing every piece of cheese on it at the wall. Well, I could happily have filled a very large wall with Eric's selection, but then, it's not polite to behave like that in other people's restaurants, is it?
So: a quick lesson on cheeseboards. Don't overload them. Most people like larger slices of one or two things, not minute pieces of 15. If you have half-cut pieces of cheese from lunchtime, don't put them back on the board for dinner – give them to the staff.
And what of the design of the place? I think it's too minimal. There's too much space between tables with too large a gap in the middle of the room – I felt exposed. As for the price, well, it wasn't bad, until my friend decided to start ordering 1990 St Emilion Pavie at £285 a bottle. But don't let that worry you, there's a perfectly decent 2004 Château de Sarpe at £49.
But this place deserves high marks because of its superior cooking. When Arsenal play football well, it's beautiful. When Raymond Blanc gets it right, it's flawless. And when Eric's on form, he serves the best food you'll eat in years.
Three-course menu: £55
Marco's rating 18.5/20
The Capital, 22 Basil Street, London SW3. Tel 020 7589 5171.
Prices correct at time of publication.