It feels like there is always a new restaurant opening, and such was the case last weekend when Galley London launched their soft opening, offering customers 50% off food to come and test out the service and food before officially opening on the 1st February. My favorite part? It’s around the corner from us in Islington, joining the great likes of Oldroyd, Bellanger and Smokehouse offering a quality dining experience in North London.

 
And I realized my previous post about a restaurant visit might have been a little long winded, so I’ll try and keep this short and sweet, and still try and convey how absolutely delicious and exciting this restaurant actually is. First, let me start with the décor – Galley is a far cry from its predecessor (United Ramen) and oozes a cool retro-chic vibe with its zebra decorated ceiling and teal coloured banquettes.  It also has an open kitchen, with bar seating, presumable for those wanting a quick bit and drink, or are just obsessed with watching these guys work.  There is also a drinks bar area which we didn’t sample as it was just gone noon on a Sunday, and were promptly seated by the very friendly staff. However, we did sample a Virgin Mary which is one of Mr J’s staple Sunday drinks – the verdict was: quite nice, with a little bit of a kick but not too much.
Now, I should probably mention at first glance the menu is a bit fish heavy, however if you’re not a fish fan, don’t be put off as there are some lovely vegetarian and carnivore friendly small plates and mains. You could think of the small plates as starters, but they are more like large tapas dishes that should really be shared (because they are all so delicious, you wouldn’t want to miss out!). And indeed that is what we did – we shared 3 small plates and 2 large and 2 desserts and nearly had to be rolled out we were so stuffed.
From the small plates we tried the Octopus & Chorizo a la plancha (white bean puree, smoked garlic pesto) which was one of the standout dishes for us. Perfectly cooked octopus, which you had to eat with the chorizo to give it that lovely saltiness and the garlic pesto just adds another lovely layer. This was followed by the Hand Dived In-Shell Scottish Scallops (carrot, cardamom puree, toasted hazelnuts) which were beautifully cooked, and worked really well with the subtlety of the cardamom, followed by those crunchy hazelnut bites at the end. We just felt that the scallops lacked a little seasoning, but aside from that this would have been a winner. And finally, the Wookey Hole Cheddar & Ham Hock Croquettes (harissa mayonnaise). This one had us a little torn – I absolutely loved them, perfect combination of salty gooey cheddar with shredded ham hock. But for Mr J it was once again lacking…but that didn’t stop him from gobbling them up.
 
 
When it came to the large dishes, it was a tough decision as quite frankly everything on the menu sounds delicious. If we’d been able to order more (and physically eat more) we would have probably also tasted the Whole Lemon Sole, Scottish Venison or the Brixham John Dory. But after much deliberation and some help from our lovely waitress, we decided to try out the ever so popular and highly instagramed Lobster Pappardelle (heritage tomatoes, Jerusalem artichoke) and the Pan-Fried Sea Bass (gnocchi, peas, courgettes, wild mushrooms, truffle oil). The later was spectacular and a highly accomplished dish. And that comes from me, a person who isn’t really a fan of fish and would avoid ordering it at any cost (I said fish, not seafood). But the skin on the sea bass was crispy, the gnocchi were pillowy (might even beat the ones at Canto Corvino) and had the right amount of truffle oil that it didn’t overpower the dish. At the same time, the lobster was beautifully cooked, juicy and sweet, still in its shell, creating the perfect topping to the pappardelle. The dish as a whole had a beautiful freshness running through it.
 
 
And just when we thought we couldn’t have any more, we were tempted by the desserts.  And we were once again at a standoff… we both had agreed on the Salted Caramel Tart (green tea ice cream, chilli & Hazelnut praline) but couldn’t agree between the White Chocolate Panna Cotta (passion fruit, honeycomb, blackberries) and the Amaretto & Verona Chocolate Fondant (cherry compote, mascarpone vanilla ice cream).  By the time the desserts arrived, I wish I would have a) stuck to my guns on the chocolate fondant (who doesn’t love fondant??) and b) listened to Mr J when he pushed for the Panna Cotta. This was an absolute winner and deserves a 10/10. Absolute perfection on a plate! The panna cotta was wobbly, sweet and creamy and the passion fruit gave it that tartness to cut through the sweetness and crunch on every bite. Even the honeycomb and blackberries gave it another texture and flavour and kept me coming for more. So Mr J – you were right, this was a *MUST* order dessert. The Salted Caramel Tart on the other hand, can be taken off the menu… I’m sorry to end on a low note, but this was far too sickly sweet, not enough saltiness, too big a portion and not even the perfectly cooked crust was giving this dessert any texture… and as much as the green tea ice cream was delicious it just wasn’t strong enough to cut through all that caramel. And neither was the non-existing chili in the praline. What really impressed me though, was the fact that our waitress could see in my face that we were not enjoying this and very kindly asked if there was a problem or something she could do to rectify this. I really appreciated how proactive she was; after all soft openings are to get your guest feedback.
 
 
Overall, this is a very welcome upscale addition, elevating the standard in Upper Street and one that I look forward to visiting again on a special occasion. But especially once they launch their brunch menu – there is a Duck Benedict that is just calling out my name. You can check out the rest of the menu here

Galley, 105 – 106 Upper Street, London N1 1QN @GalleyLondon

TAGS : | | | | | |