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