By Vik Chauhan, FG Central Correspondent
The Gallery is everyone’s favourite local in West Hampstead. Situated off the high street (West End Lane), it’s tucked away but still within walking distance of local tube stations and easy enough for people to enjoy into the early hours and stumble back home after knocking back one of the many cocktails, whiskeys, cocktails, beers or ciders on offer here.
The food selection is minimal but it packs a punch. Opting for the Gallery Fried Chicken, Bourbon BBQ Squid and Lamb Latkes with Caper Mayonnaise, we weren’t disappointed. The Gallery Fried Chicken is a must: Crispy batter with tender boneless chicken, paired with a whiskey sour which went down a treat. Fried chicken is a staple taste and The Gallery pull it off well here. The Kentucky theme continues with Bourbon BBQ squid which on the surface appears greasy or oily but is crispy and moreish and the bourbon comes through. The Lamb Latkes were a good addition but the main event is the chicken here.
The drinks menu here is extensive, and presumably one of the main reasons The Gallery brings in the locals evening after evening. We gave the cocktail menu a try, trying the Smokey, a whiskey sour with Laphroig, Monkey Shoulder, lemon, bitters and egg white, smooth but very strong. The Gallery boasts a selection of over 100 whiskeys to try, ‘Single malts, blended, smokey, peaty, rich, light, delicate’. There’s definitely something to cater for all.
If you do visit, be sure to take a trip downstairs to the speakeasy style bar which is dimly lit and has a more intimate atmosphere from the party going on upstairs. The Gallery is worth a visit or two, or three, if you’re a local, but if you’re ever in the area, be sure to make a stop for a post-dinner cocktail downstairs.
http://www.ilovethegallery.com/
Twitter: @TheGalleryNW6
Instagram: @thegallerynw6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGalleryBarWestHampstead/
By Vik Chauhan
