Monday 4 April 2011

i'm at the gate!

In an effort to eat under the guise of 'research' I headed to The Gate, a vegetarian restaurant in Hammersmith, with some of my Good Food channel workmates. Located on a quiet residential street a few minutes walk from the Apollo, through an iron gate (what else), the restaurant is well secluded and tranquil. A spacious, light and airy dining room, wooden tables and chairs, and high ceilings (one side completely glass) gives The Gate a modern, informal feel. As we were dining early evening we had lots of natural light coming in, but as we left waiting staff lit nightlights on every table which I imagine would give it a friendly, cosy glow.
rotolo
After ordering a bottle of lovely but slightly overpriced house white, we skipped straight to the main courses. A good selection was offered including tortillas, aubergine teriyaki and 'pasta of the day' (gluten-free option available!) I chose the rotolo - butternut, goats cheese and basil rolled in thyme-infused potatoes, served on bed of french beans. A deliciously rich and creamy dish, just the right size and with a flourish of crispy deep fried leeks which gave a great crunch with the soft layers of the rotolo. A green peppercorn and creamy mustard sauce was also a good addition, if a bit heavy on the mustard.


risotto








Lakshmi's risotto alla contadina, made with fava beans, peas, asparagus, courgettes and wild garlic looked like a real spring dish. Vivid green colour, enough liquid to avoid being too stodgy and a light, fresh flavour with the addition of mint and lemon.





Charly's winter veg and chickpea tagine of chunky carrot, celeriac, sweet pot, parsnip, fennel and dates was generally good but there were a couple of points of criticism... She couldn't taste the pickled lemon and the pomegranate, herb and bulgur salad served alongside, could have done with being replaced with softer, more absorbent couscous… Charly is a food writer (check her fantastic blog here) and has a very sophisticated palate so we can trust her on this one!
tagine
Thoroughly full I'm afraid we wimped out and swerved the desserts, which included a yummy sounding frangipane and pear tart, pineapple and chilli crumble and chocolate marquise.
Overall I reckon I'd rate The Gate a nice and decent 7/10. The menu although good, could have been a bit more imaginative. We were also nearing overpriced out territory with mains at the £13 - £16 mark. I may be out of line in saying this, but I understand paying more for an expensive cut of meat or piece of fish, but when something is predominantly veggies it seems a bit like the customer is paying for the 'novelty' of eating at a veggie restaurant. Vegetarian restaurants traditionally rely on cheesy, creamy, rich dishes - which are usually scrumptious. But it's always good to have some innovative flourishes popping up to waken the tastebuds and offer something really different to pull the punters back again. I'm thinking of Terre a Terre's vodka-spiked tomatoes or Vanilla Black's Marmite glazed almonds... With touches like that, I'm prepared to pay more for the taste sensation. However The Gate are currently running a £10 for 2 courses lunch menu, which could be the answer for the budget concious vegetarians in these credit carrot crunching times...

2 comments:

  1. Hurrah for the Grub Club! And re: more veggie restuarants...Planet India in Brighton is supposed to be mind-blowing, life-changing, out of this world!

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  2. I really like The Gate - I used to go there a lot for work lunches. My only major issue is they must use an extraordinary amount of salt in their food or msg or something because I always find myself incredibly parched after eating there...xxx

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