Even though The Gallery on Chatham Counterguard has been open for some time I only decided to go there yesterday for lunch. I saw there were a few veggie options so I sat down with my parents to have a bite to eat. The service was very good, the staff was very friendly. We decided to order a few plates of food as we were told that they were light bites, more like starters but 5 plates between the 3 of us would be enough and it really was plenty!
The food is generally very tasty and the presentation is very nice too. You can see when they are preparing your food (hence why it is an open kitchen restaurant!) and it is done with care and knowledge of what makes a good veggie plate. I have to say that there weren’t many vegan options but there are still a few good plates, such as the sweet jacket potato which was delicious.
The Gallery Special, with goat cheese, beetroot and chick peas. Earthy and full of flavour!
Butternut squash carpaccio with cheese, beetroot and a sweet balsamic vinegar dressing
Blue cheese rosti. This was OK, perhaps the rosti could do with not having blue cheese inside, maybe it could be outside with the garnish. In my opinion the cheese didn’t add much to the overall dish.
Avocado salad with Gorgonzola cheese, melon, strawberries and an orange marinade. This salad was absolutely delicious.
Baked sweet potato with asparagus and butter bean hummus. Since this is a main we asked if it could be divided between 3, one portion for each and they made it so. For me this was the star, maybe because I love sweet potato but the flavours balanced out perfectly.
Greek yoghurt foam with fresh fruit to end the meal as a sweet bite. This was light and used fruit which was in season.
Thumbs Up
Great service, friendly staff, good vegetarian options oozing in flavours and textures.
Thumbs Down
The only criticism I can think of is that maybe the starters could somehow be made into a main meal in it’s own right so that if it is one person that wants to order a vegetarian meal they can do so and get a good portion and have some choice.
Overall
4.75/5 – Will definitely be returning.
