There is a Facebook group called ‘Eat and Drink in and around Gibraltar‘ where a lot of restaurants, cafes and bars post their food, special offers or menus for people to look at. I suspect there are a lot of places with similar groups on Facebook or social media profiles. However every time I see a menu posted that does not have a single vegetarian or vegan alternative I make it a point to respectfully comment that it is a shame that they don’t offer any veggie options. This was the case when Food Studio posted their menu and I commented on it. A few minutes later I received a message telling me that they were devising the vegetarian and vegan options for the menu and that I was invited to sample it for free. How could I refuse such an offer!? I’m so glad I went!
It is very centrally located on 16 City Mill Lane, a quaint part of town which is quite cosy. There are only a handful of tables so you may need to reserve a place for lunch. They are also on the Hungry Monkey app so you can order to deliver instead. The atmosphere and service were very good and friendly, and most importantly the food was excellent. It turns out they do have good vegetarian and vegan main meals and snacks to choose from!
For a starter I was treated to some avocado chips, which I had never heard of before but I was very much intrigued by. This was composed of avocado slices coated in savoury and spiced panco breadcrumbs, deep fried until the outside was crunchy and crispy and the inside of the avocado was still firm but nice and soft at the same time. It came with sweet chilli sauce. I give this snack a 4.5 out of 5, crunchy and tasty with great textures. I would definitely order this again.
Next I was treated to a vegetarian lasagna. Normally I shy away from vegetarian lasagnas because I find these to be the lazy vegetarian option at restaurants, much like penne arrabiata, and then it usually tastes better when you make it yourself. Well not this one! This has got to be one of the best (if not the best) veggie lasagna I have had when eating out.
It had broccolini (which is super tasty and way nicer than regular broccoli), slices of ripe tomatoes which were melting away, slices of baby aubergines which are sweeter and not as cottony as regular aubergines layered in pasta sheets which are crunchy at the edges (almost a bit like a poppadom!) and deliciously soft in the centre. It had a creamy tomato sauce and cheese shavings all around too. Such a great concept for a vegetarian lasagna and one which will no doubt surprise anyone. I would give this a 5/5 and definitely order another time.
This is food that is cooked with love, as the chef and owner told me this is his creative vision of food. You can tell that a good deal of thought and creativity has gone into these dishes. I got to see some of what the other tables were having and not only did everything on it looked delicious (even non veggie food) but the portions were plentiful, even by my greedy standards! I even noticed one of the other tables was having cheesy chips and the chips were hand cut, which is always a good sign.
Thumbs Up:
Food quality and quantity
Taste and creativity
Number of veggie options
Service
Location
Thumbs down:
None, except maybe that you have to book to ensure a table as it is a small place, but at least it’s nice and cosy.
Overall verdict:
5/5 – Will definitely go again and can highly recommend it.
