The Gate, Islington

Mezze

Oh my gosh, what can I say? The Gate is a vegetarian restaurant (don't stop reading, don't stop reading!) that my OH has been going on about for years. Only prob? It's in Hammersmith. Doh. And I don't like to travel too far out of zone 1 or north london (ha) so we've never been. Until the nice people who manage The Gate decided to open another branch in Islington, just for me!

We popped in after work one Thursday and were offered a table which was only available until 8pm (it was 7pm when we arrived). We can eat fairly quickly, and were pretty hungry so we agreed and were pleased the service was speedy enough to allow us to neck a couple of yummy cocktails (a fresh raspberry bellini and the egyptian iced tea which I highly recommend. Drool.)

cous cous crusted aubergine

We wanted to try the mezze, which was 3 for £10, so asked for it on the side to make sure we had time to eat it. You could have it as a started or main though, as you can choose as many dishes as you want. The roasted sweet potato with tahini was gorgeous, as was the tempura (I think it was artichoke?) and the thai salad excelled itself, despite being the one I was least eager to try. It was tangy and crisp and really tasted as good as a dish you might get in Bangkok (where I think I had the best food of my life, although Singapore comes close).

corn cake and grilled veggie stack

For mains we chose the polenta and corn cake, which came stacked into a high tower with grilled veg including tomatoes, aubergine, sweet potato and artichoke. Dolloped around the edge was a mix of beans, sweetcorn and chilli, taking on a rustic, mexican salsa theme. I was feeling pretty smug that I had chosen the best dish, until at half time (ding ding) we swapped and I tasted the wonderment which was the cous-cous crusted aubergine. Looking like some weird sort of nut cutlet I wasn't expecting much, but the flavours were amazing. It was like an aubergine sandwich, stuffed with cream cheese and slivered almonds which gave it a great crunchy texture, juxtaposed with the creamy cheese which had been injected with a good kick of spice.  A little guacamole and red pepper sauce on the side made the dish complete and I was very happy to finish this off, even if it did seem tu be by far the less healthy of the two. 

No time or room for dessert, but the options looked and sounded delicious. Next time I will come even hungrier and-not that I can wait for it- the Christmas menu looks so good I am definitely booking in for that now.