It was famous for serving diners the most expensive meal in the world. Now, rare wine, artworks, silverware and porcelain from the Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche are to be sold at auction.
Christie’s will be auctioning off the items from the high-end restaurant, such as expensive red wine bottles worth £12,000 and the iconic “Le Gavroche” sign. This decision comes after Michel Roux Jr’s choice to shut down the eatery.
Le Gavroche, established by siblings Michel and Albert Roux in 1967, aimed to be a stronghold for traditional, decadent French haute cuisine. It became the first restaurant in the United Kingdom to receive three Michelin stars in 1982.
Notable chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffman and Monica Galetti all gained experience in its kitchen. Some famous patrons were Charlie Chaplin, Robert Redford, Mick Jagger, Adele, Paul McCartney and, according to reports, the Queen.
A piece up for auction is a painting of a street child from Victor Hugo’s 1862 book, Les Misérables, that was once displayed in the restaurant. The artwork portrays the character that inspired the name of Le Gavroche, meaning “the urchin” in French, and is expected to sell for £10,000 to £15,000.
Also going under the hammer are bottles of 2013 vintage Domaine de la Romanée-Conti grand cru, a rare Burgundy wine, which are expected to sell for £9,000 to £12,000.
Roux Jr, who is the son of the late Albert Roux, said the restaurant’s wine cellar had been “lovingly curated for decades” and that the artwork was “of significance to the Roux family and familiar to everyone who has eaten at the restaurant since we first opened”.
Unfortunately, we were unable to find a place for these iconic pieces in our other restaurants and businesses. However, I am happy to hear that our cherished guests will be able to bring a piece of Le Gavroche into their homes.
According to Tim Triptree, the international director of wine at Christie’s, the bottles featured in the auction are “the best that France has to offer.”
The auction for the sign above the entrance of the restaurant will begin at £1,000. In 1993, the restaurant lost its third Michelin star but later gained recognition in the Guinness World Records for serving the priciest meal per person, when three customers paid $20,945 (£16,580) for a single meal in 1997.
Source: theguardian.com
