• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Messy Vegan Cook
  • Recipes
  • Thai Food + Travel
  • Supper Clubs
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Instagram
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Thai Food and Travel
  • London Vegan Supper Clubs
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Restaurant Review: The Gate Vegetarian Restaurant, Hammersmith

    9 December, 2015 by Kip Leave a Comment

    Lunch at The Gate Restaurant, London

    The Gate Restaurant (Hammersmith)

    thegaterestaurants.com

    51 Queen Caroline Street
    Hammersmith
    London, W6 9QL
    England

    I'm in my 15th year of living in the South East corner of England – vegetarian the entire time – and have only recently found my way to The Gate Restaurant. Long known as a reliable spot for unique vegetarian dishes in London, The Gate wasn't high on my priority list because I'd heard the vegan options weren't always up to scratch. When the restaurant invited me for a meal, however, I realised the unfairness of my judgement since it was one based on zero experience, and so accepted their offer. Will I return? Most definitely yes.

    Lunch at The Gate Restaurant, London

    Lemon ginger tea | Rocket and balsamic reduction salad

    First impressions are important in a restaurant, especially when it is marketed as an upscale establishment. Attention to detail is key, and The Gate has got it spot on. The dining room is a light and airy space on the second floor, an open and inviting room that feels way too cool for me. Layered wood accents line the long inside wall, while the opposite wall is made of pretty much just huge windows. Windows that allow Britain's nine seconds of winter daylight to pour in. It's a genuinely lovely place to be, and refreshing to know there is a restaurant that isn't hell-bent on ensuring I can't see my food.

    Plantain fritters filled with carrot, sultanas, mint and pine nuts served with chipotle and blueberry sauce and crispy fennel and pomegranate salad.

    Plantain fritters filled with carrot, sultanas, mint and pine nuts served with chipotle and blueberry sauce and crispy fennel and pomegranate salad.

    To begin we ordered a couple of starters – plantain fritters and the sprouting lentil salad. The plantain fritters had a filling that included sultanas, which is close to poison from where I stand, but the chipotle and blueberry sauce had me sold (these days I'm sold on any mention of blueberry that doesn't also include the word 'superfood,' because what even is one of those?). Smoky and tangy, with a sweet pop from the pomegranate seeds, not only was the flavour good but I really enjoyed the variety of textures. Even the fruit.

    Incidentally, I would like for it to be possible to describe food without sounding like a tool, but there you go.

    Sprouting lentil salad with pak choi, cranberries, miso pickled tagliatelle of carrot and mouli in a wasabi oil

    Sprouting lentil salad with pak choi, cranberries, miso pickled tagliatelle of carrot and mouli in a wasabi oil

    The sprouting lentil salad included a bunch of raw stuff I'd probably never put together at home, but ordered it since I love a good salad (and they are hard to come by in the UK, where a watery tomato alongside the most vile of foods, cucumber, is considered salad). The balance of flavour and, again, texture, was spot on, with the cranberries a perfect complement to the umami rich wasabi dressing.

    Portions were generous for starters, so go starving or split one between two people.

    This, and any associated, image cannot be used for any commercial use (personal use is okay). For use related enquiries please contact me kip @ messyvegetariancook.com

    Asian dumplings of water chestnut & shiitake | Christmas rotolo

    The dumplings contained a mushroom filling that actually tasted of mushrooms (I'm often disappointed by overcooked flavourless mushrooms at restaurants). The tempura wasn't crispy, which was disappointing. Aubergine jam is an interesting idea, and I liked the hint of curry spice, but the dish was still missing a savoury element – a high quality soy dressing on the side wouldn't go amiss.

    I judge pretty harshly on gravy, which I also love because it's effectively permission to eat salt soup, so naturally I ordered the Christmas rotolo. The gravy was zippier than expected, a little sweet and a little tangy, and it worked incredibly well. A little bit went a long way, so there wasn't a need for more, but I wish I could have ordered an extra side to swim in. Central to the dish was the rotolo, but the real star was the courgette wrapped mash (sweet potato?), which was smoky and peppery and ought to be made into a main. I wish the brussels had been roasted, not steamed (and perhaps cut with lemon to mask the bitterness). The stuffing ball was a nut encrusted bean mash, which felt wrong but convinced me in the end because it tasted great. All in all, a great dish.

    By the time we polished off our starters, mains, and a rocket salad (sweet and sharp with toasted hazelnuts – delicious), we were too full for dessert. Which is fine because I want an excuse to return to The Gate anyway. The space is gorgeous, the staff are attentive, kind, and polite, and the food is good. We enjoyed our time so much, in fact, that we lost track of time and accidentally had a two hour lunch.

    If you're looking for a nice spot for a high quality vegetarian and vegan friendly meal around Hammersmith, then consider The Gate.  I love Christmas about as much as I love going to the dentist (less, in fact. My dentist is ace), but The Gate is currently running a festive menu, available throughout December, with a few interesting specials not available outside of this season. It's worth checking out.

    Disclosure: The Gate invited me to dine at their restaurant as a guest. All opinions are my own.

    « Vegan Pad Gaprao (Pat Kaprow – ผัดกะเพรา)
    Smoky Sriracha Tofu Steamed Buns »

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

    More about me →

    • All recipes
    • Thai food + travel
    • General travel
    • Reviews
    • Food facts
    • Thai winged bean salad (yam tua pu)
    • Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim)
    Vegan Thai Recipes
    Vegan Travel in Thailand
    Kippysnacks logo

    I run vegan Thai supper clubs at my home in East London. Next events are May 6, 7, and 13. Book tickets here.

    Think Like a Vegan

    Think Like a Vegan Book

    A thoughtful read for long time vegans and nonvegans alike, this is one of the best styles of arguing for and discussion veganism I have yet to find. Highly recommended reading.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Privacy policy
    • Relationships and disclosures
    • Comments Policy
    • PR and Review Policy
    • Freelance and Consultancy

    Contact

    Email me
    Follow me on Bloglovin

    Newsletter

    All content on this site, including, but not limited to, text, recipes, and photographs are owned by Messy Vegan Cook and its contributors. No content may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Messy Vegan Cook