The Whitechapel Gallery in London’s East End is well known as a major creative space where progressive artists display their most imaginative work. Blue Tomato visited the adjacent dining room to discover whether the food would be just as exciting as the art, and with Angela Hartnett at the helm we had high expectations for our visit. The restaurant used to be run by the highly talented Maria Elia, but since breaking ranks with Gordon Ramsey, we were greatly looking forward to seeing what Hartnett and her first solo venture at the gallery had in store for us.
We visited the restaurant on a Friday night, and found it surprisingly quiet with only two other couples in attendance. The décor however, was smart with light wooden accents and the room complemented the spacious feel of the attached art gallery. The menu at the Whitechapel Gallery is modern, flexible and constantly changing with an interesting assortment of small and large dishes. We kicked off with the whipped goat’s curd with roasted garlic, a delicious pre-starter. Our “proper” starters however, were not quite as satisfying—the salt and Szechuan pepper squid with shallot and chili dressing was fairly bland and seemed more of a batter than a completed dish. The mains, in contrast were far more befitting of the calibre of grub we have come to expect from Ramsey’s protégé formerly served at The Connaught and Murano. The girolle mushroom risotto with parmesan shavings was one of the best we’ve tasted in recent times but it was the plaice with cider braised celery and caramelized apple that gets the big BT thumbs up. The desserts too were of a good quality, our favourite being the buttermilk pudding and berry compote, a delightful mix of sweet and playful flavours.
So, the next time you are in the mood for a bit of East End bohemian culture with a smattering of fine dining thrown in for good measure, pop along to the Whitechapel Gallery and kill two birds with one stone. Angela “Art”-nett has definitely come up trumps.
Date posted: 03/01/2012
