Brunch at Galley in Islington

Founded by the ambitious brother and sister team Marcel Grzyb and Oriona Robb, Galley is a stylish venue in the heart of Islington. Reminiscent of a chic Parisian bistro with a modern twist, Galley serves an exciting and inventive all-day menu along with a smaller brunch menu, available Thursday to Sunday.

Everything in the diverse brunch selection, which caters to every taste — sweet, hearty, vegetarian, or pescetarian— sounded fresh and tempting. The menu comprised a mix of more traditional options such as Baked Free-Range Eggs with North African Merguez Sausages as well as more experimental fish and meat dishes such as Red Mullet and Soft-Shell Crab Brioche or the Galley Burger with dry-aged beef and foie gras.

Ultimately, we decided to try the Burrata and the Duck Benedict to start with, followed by the Silky Chocolate Pancakes with Mascarpone and Warm Blueberries. The presentation of the dishes was modern and pleasing to the eye, yet did not neglect to put the taste experience at the heart. While the Burrata itself might have been a bit overshadowed by minty broad beans and crushed peas, the chilli oil balanced out the milky flavour of the cheese perfectly. The dessert-sized chocolate pancakes were slightly too spongy, but were also elevated by the combination of well-sourced ingredients that turned these two dishes into an enjoyable brunch option.

 

The Duck Benedict, however, was a rounded and truly surprising taste experience through and through. Not knowing what to expect from this modified classic, an artisan sourdough bread arrived, which was stacked with a duck egg cooked to perfection and wrapped in duck meat, drizzled with a rich and savoury hollandaise sauce. The dish created the definite highlight of our visit and demonstrated the immense potential of the kitchen.

The smoothies that accompanied our meals were in comparison rather disappointing. The chilli and mango smoothie, made with dried chilli seeds, overpowered the dishes with its hotness, while the spinach, kale and blueberry smoothie was bland and could not keep up with the standard the food set.  

 

Overall, despite its minor flaws, the eclectic yet harmonic Galley Restaurant, led by a high sense for fine design through to the last detail, created the perfect ambiance to enjoy these imaginative dishes and turned brunch in to an elegant affair worth repeating.

Luisa Kapp
Photos: Daniel Donovan

★★★★★

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To book a table at The Galley, 105 – 106 Upper Street, London N1 1QN, call 020 3670 0740 or visit here.