Simon C.
Yelp
Gazette is one of my local restaurants and I was surprised that no-one on Yelp has reviewed it yet! It's a gem of a place, hidden away off the (rather nasty and quite smelly) York Road on the Battersea / Wandsworth border.
Nestled between riverside apartments the restaurant offers traditional French cuisine in a relaxed and informal setting. It markets itself as a cafe, bar, brassiere and private room. To be fair, it's a restaurant on the top floor and a nice bar on the lower level (perfect for reading the paper and relaxing). The private room isn't exactly massive, and has a glass partition, so it's not exactly 'private' per se, just slightly removed from the other diners. My partner had his 40th b.day here and it was a great success. The menu was tailor made, with all his favourite things: truffles, foie gras, confit of duck etc.
I ate here a couple of weeks ago with my mum, her friend and my other half. Service was good, if a little slow at times. The place is very very French so don't expect to be hurried with your meal - this is about relaxing and taking your time. Similarly, the service, timing and pacing of your meal will reflect this.
The wine list is MASSIVE, and I do mean massive. However, if the owner is about (Walter) he will be more than happy to guide you to a suitable choice. Prices aren't cheap, but the selection is superb.
The menu changes daily and has been designed to appear like a newspaper front page. I had snails to start, and then salmon with sweet potato for main. The snails were delicious, swimming in melted butter (I daren't even begin to think about how many calories were in it) , they also had a deliciously earthy taste. Yum. The salmon was cooked well, and the sweet potato was fine, if well, a little watery. My fellow diners had similarly hit and misses with their choices, a mustard and tomato tart was disappointing, a veal main course was served luke warm and had to be sent back (not a problem, and it was dealt with quickly and didn't impact on our enjoyment one bit), foie gras starter for my other half was delicious with red onion jam.
Just another note about the way the food is served. Everything is quite 'rustic' so don't be surprised if your food comes served in a large pot / pan / dish. It's a cute gimmick, but not essential. Although must be a nightmare for the poor waiting staff. Speaking of the waiting staff 100% of them are French and have varying levels of English. So do try and be patient or ask another server. I find it adds to the whole French experience!
Anyhoo, Gazette is well worth a look if you're in the area. it's also a great place to go with friends for a group birthday / event as long as you're not wanting to hit the local nightclubs after (they're aren't any). The place can get a little rowdy with the right crowd there and also for big sporting events (especially involving the French) you'll find a large ex-pat community.