It’s a warm, golden evening in west London, one of those Friday evenings where everything seems to effortlessly come together. Weaving my way up the length of the Kings Road I meet my guest at Duke of York Square and to the Saatchi Gallery restaurant (Gallery Mess) for dinner. Service is smart and prompt and we are quickly seated within the centre of their relaxed al fresco terrace overlooking the green, just before the last rays of sunshine fall below the Chelsea skyline.
The menu is equally as smart. Starters include unsurprising but elegant choices such as beef carpaccio and crab salad. English asparagus topped with a poached duck egg and miso was light and tasty; a pleasing choice alongside our glasses of Rose.
Main dishes to choose from comprise a cod and herb persillade with chickpeas, chorizo, artichokes and sauce vierge and English pea risotto with broad beans and salsa verde. Others, the fillet of beef with roasted tomato, mushroom with Béarnaise sauce which was slightly overdone although a tasty cut, and the roast caldecott chicken with pomme purée, black pudding and roasting juices which (chosen after eyeing up a nearby table) satisfactorily tasted as hoped with a delightfully English finish.
Indoors for dessert (terrace closes at 9pm); the chocolate and beetroot cake is a trendy option but nonetheless delicious, whilst the seasonal British and Irish cheese board was presented with a selection of balsamic Roscoff onion petals with chutney and artisan breads.
Set against a backdrop of exposed brickwork, vaulted ceilings and displays of the world-famous art, Gallery Mess is a destination restaurant that adjoins the Saatchi Gallery, whereby some of the most inspiring contemporary works of art in London are housed. Menus are created by renowned events caterer and restaurant operator Rhubarb, also the talent behind Verdi at the Royal Albert Hall, and Sky Garden, amongst others.
Regardless of its famous counterpart of the Saatchi Gallery, Gallery Mess stands its ground. The refined menu, smart surroundings and sharp service give this restaurant a reason to visit and around the corner from Sloane Square its convenient location offers plenty more favours. Opening back in 2009, the quality of the polished menu is much higher than you’d expect to find in any other gallery restaurant and embodies the affluent postcode. All together, ironically – far from any kind of ‘Mess’.
Address: King’s Rd, London SW3 4RY, 020 7730 8135, saatchigallery.com
