Dress / Zara
Roll neck / Primark
Necklace / Topshop
Shoes / Mango
Thursday, 3 December 2015
THE GATE - VEGETARIAN FOOD DONE RIGHT
The Gate takes it even a step further by being a fully vegetarian restaurant, serving up eclectic, Modern European fare in their Angel and Hammersmith restaurants. And boy do they do it well. Here every dish is beautifully presented and flavours carefully combined, elevating simple vegetables into something quite special. On my recent first visit to the Angel branch me and my friend shared the mezze platter to start, which not only looked stunning but borrowed inspiration from vegetarian dishes from all around the world, making each component stand out in its own right. From the sesame coated tofu with coriander peatland sweet weed salad ( and I am usually not a huge fan of tofu despite it being an obvious food choice for any non meat eaters) to the mushroom arranchinis and grilled halloumi in chermula, this is fresh, fantastic food that impressed us before we had even gotten to our mains.
The mains too all sounded amazing on the menu and it proved difficult for us to choose (I already have my eye on two other mains for future visits) but in the end we rather boringly went for the same main - tortillas filled with sweet potato, beetroot and goats cheese, finished off with a black bean salsa. Again the dish stood out with its freshness but was also substantial enough to leave us with that full satisfied feeling. We also shared the chunky polenta chips with a tangy garlic aioli and a sweet potato and pomegranate salad in a creamy tahini dressing for added greens, both once again delicious, beautifully present and perfectly seasoned.
As it was Sunday and with official pigging out day we couldn't help but order the dessert mezze, especially as we enjoyed the starter one so much, and thank god we did! With a mix of vegan and none vegan desserts, the Gate also excelling in offering most dishes on request dairy and gluten free as well as clearly labelling everything on the menu and with that making it a dream for anyone with intolerances, we were a little apprehensive to start with. After all vegan cheesecake and the like had never really enticed me, at the back of my mind unsure how dairy components could be convincingly and most importantly in a tasty way replaced with an alternative. However the walnut base raw vegan chessscake, topped with prune jam, that appeared before us was absolutely incredible! It was light, creamy and in no way the odd tasting thing I had envisioned! I am definitely going to give making one a go especially as I am intrigued to learn as to what is used to substitute the dairy. My dining companion was overjoyed as she suffers from a dairy intolerance and the Gate again showed true kitchen ingenuity. The other mezze desserts were as good with highlights being the apple mille-feuille, caramilsed apples with sweet cream and calvados sorbet as well as the chocolate and griottine mousse which lacked the overwhelming richness of some mousses I've had. To wash it all down we had a very reasonable priced bottle of rose (at £19 pretty darn good for central London) and two fantastic cocktails- the flaming sour (amaretto, absinthe , passion fruit and lemon) even arriving in flames, only further reiterating the great attention to detail that is taken here not only in the food but also presentation and service overall.
The Gate delivered one of the best meals I've had in London, regardless whether it is a vegetarian restaurant or not. The food and the ingredients it is made out of is loved here and you can really taste that. Try the Gate and leave surprised and in awe at how versatile and darn tasty a meal without meat ( and dairy in some instances) can be and you may just change your preconceptions of boring veggie food with no stuffed pepper in sight!
Monday, 30 November 2015
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Monday, 23 November 2015
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Cooking Up A Veggie Feast!
I gave up meat because I simply didn't like the taste. Many childhood meals in fact featured me covering a rather expensive steak in ketchup to horror of my meat loving mum. I don't miss eating bacon or salami neither do I judge someone eating it in front of me. Eat what makes you and your body feel good, something that can change and alter as you grow up and depending on your life situation and how happy you are. I had a few years of eating chicken as my body craved it and only ate it when done well ( not fried but more of the rotisserie kind at Chicken shop or freshly grilled in a Turkish shish wrap) yet have recently once again gone completely back to just eating fish. Could I be fully vegetarian? I could if I was ethically commit enough or if my body suddenly stopped occasionally craving smoked salmon, sushi and prawns ( and boy do I love all three), so I guess for now I am a happy pescatarian.
Have those, one could argue self imposed, limitations meant I eat boring food and miss out on eating out? Well as you know from my numerous restaurant reviews there are plenty of alternatives, fish or veggie based, especially in London and I think a great restaurant or home cook proves its or his and hers credentials even further by not serving you up a bloody risotto or stuffed pepper as default veggie dish.
In fact vegetables can be one of the most versatile and tasty things to cook which is why me and my flatmate set out to cook quite the feast with a collection of recipes found where else but Pinterest. Meat eater, pescatarian, vegetarian or even vegan ( just leave out or substitute the creamy bits and halloumi)- I hope you try some of these dishes and love the flavours because that is what food is for - enjoyment! Listen to your body and eat what makes you happy and sometimes try something out of your comfort zone but don't judge before you try. It doesn't always have to involve meat to be a delicious meal.
Baked Aubergine With Buttermilk Sauce
One of Yotam Ottolenghi's signature dishes, this a not only visually stunning but utterly delicious and surprisingly easy way to prepare aubergines. With the sweetness from the pomegranate seeds, deep herbiness from the za'taar spice mix (a must to have in your kitchen anyway and available at most Turkish greengrocers) and the charred earthiness of the aubergine, this is pretty much as sexy as a vegetable dish is ever going to get!
Get the recipe here
Sweet Potato Fries With Garlic Mayo
I adore sweet potatoes. They are so versatile, way more tasty than a normal potato and also good for you! I make them weekly as part of my roast veg (amongst my friends known as my infamous and slightly weird dish of choice when suffering from a hangover) but have struggled to find a recipe that makes them crunchy and chip like without the not so good for you deep frying. This recipe worked a treat by coating them in flour beforehand and also had an amazing recipe for a super easy and fresh garlic mayo to go with them. We basically inhaled these and I have a feeling this will become one of those staple recipes whenever we have a spare sweet p knocking around.
Get the recipe here
Chargrilled Asparagus, Courgettes & Halloumi
Another Ottolenghi recipe, this one combines my favourite veg asparagus, chargrilled here for extra flavour (nothing worse than people boiling them to nothing but a mushy mess), with a tangy basil garlic oil. slow roast baby tomatoes, ribbons of courgette and halloumi. Combined, this tastes like sunshine on a plate, full of Mediterranean fresh flavours that made us forget about the gloomy November evening outside and was once again super easy and quick to prepare!
Get the recipe here
Have a bottle of white wine ( or two) whilst cooking and eating and enjoy the colours, flavours and freshness of each dish! Even committed steak eaters will be jealous of your feast.
Monday, 16 November 2015
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Monday, 9 November 2015
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Monday, 2 November 2015
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