I was surprised to realise that of the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life didn't contain any meat. It was in 2007 at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir restaurant and was a delicate Japanese custard with parmesan, satin smooth, salty and light, exquisite. I always considered myself somewhat of a carnivore before that realisation, and afterwards remembered that too, some of my favourite Indian curries were meatless. Emboldened by my discovery, I decided to have a crack at this meat free thing, examining my diet for opportunities to eliminate or reduce my meat intake. After all, demand for meat, especially beef, is one of the largest factors in climate change and deforestation, with forest land being rapidly given over to farming cattle (watch Cowspiracy on Netflix, if you can stomach a bit of scare-mongering alongside some very valid truths). I opened myself to eating meat free occasionally and further exploring the bounty of vegetables, grains and fruits. Along the way came The Gate restaurant, Hammersmith….
The Gate has been one of London's most successful vegetarian restaurants since 1989, run by Adrian and Michael Daniel and now with branches too in Islington and Marble Arch (opening December 1st 2016). Seriously, the place is an institution and will be the first name dropped if you ask anyone for recommended vegetarian restaurants. Besides being highly rated by all, they're doing some great things in the ethical space. In June they were the first restaurant in the UK to be named 'autism friendly' by the National Autistic Society – they offer a pre-visit guide with pictures explaining step by step how to make a reservation, travel to the restaurant and enjoy and pay for the meal, as well as an ingredients guide. Really impressive stuff.
Food wise, the style is a queer sounding blend of Indo-Iraqi Jewish meets French and Italian, and I decided to try it a few weeks ago at their Hammersmith site.
The restaurant itself is lovely – down a little residential street and right behind the Apollo theatre – with high ceilings, massive windows, white decor and tonnes of natural light. The menu is relatively small with just 7 starters and mains and including plenty of gluten free, vegan nut free, nut free, etcetera etcetera, options, if that tickles your pickle. Starters are around £7, mains £13. They're not too holy for a wine list and there are some great choices, plus aperitifs and cocktails.
I started off with their half aubergine roasted and glazed with miso sauce, topped with toasted cashew nuts, micro coriander and ponzu sauce. The aubergine was melting and rich, deep in salty miso flavour and with good crunch from the cashews. Next a slow roasted leek tart with swiss cheese and a raw beetroot salad. Again, the tart had great texture with perfect ooze. I can't help feeling like the slow roasted leeks could have been so much better done with chicken stock, but nevertheless it was very good.
For mains I chose a rotolo (turned out to be a baked ring of layered potatoes) of minted marrow fat peas and feta, served on pea puree and homemade goat`s curd (the main reason for me ordering it – I love it). This was gorgeous, bursting with vibrant pea flavour and highlighted with salty cheese. If I were to criticise, I'd say the presentation needed modernising and was a bit…retro.
Another main of sweetcorn and coriander fritter with a salsa of black bean, roast pepper and grilled corn on the cob, topped with char-grilled Mediterranean vegetables and chunky guacamole was less exceptional, despite its menu description sounding decidedly more so. Everything was fine, but only fine – more oomph needed, perhaps through some more chili or mango in the salsa.
Categorically excellent though, and a must for any visit, were polenta fries with garlic aioli. Christ, these were good.
I finished with a dessert of coconut parfait with chilli grilled pineapple which was lovely, although the parfait lacked a bit in texture – it was too icy and needed more creaminess.
All in all, The Gate is great at what it does. The food is not just good vegetarian food, but good food in general hands down, full stop. A fully deserved London institution.
51 Queen Caroline St, Hammersmith W6 9QL, 020 8748 6932
Thank very much for helping me.