Gallery Mess

Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4SQ - View on a map
Telephone: 0207 730 8135

Overall 3.3
Food 4.0
Service 2.7
Atmosphere 3.7
Value 3.0

what the critics say

Zoe Williams - 6/10

Friday, August 07, 2009 - Considering its slightly unforgiving interior, Gallery Mess has a very festive atmosphere, I must say...She had the beef carpaccio with something green, probably rocket, and something hard and scrapey, almost certainly parmesan. Nothing really tasted of itself. I suppose maybe the beef did its job, though it was buried under quite a truffly mayonnaise, but the rest was just texture. I had exactly the same problem with my crab linguine. I could see the crab but no way could I have closed my eyes and pictured it bursting fresh from the sea. It could have been anything.

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Marina O'Loughlin - 3/5

Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - The food arrives promptly and raises few complaints. It's all kept deliberately simple, and there are several dishes that are little more than assemblies. But, still, there are things we like: a nutty salad with spelt and crayfish; fresh-tasting gazpacho; a serviceable if not thrilling organic burger...Puddings are great fun: chocolate sundae with toffee popcorn and popcorn-flavoured ice cream; foofy little rhubarb and strawberry crumble.

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Guy Dimond - 4/5

Friday, July 10, 2009 - You can sit inside surrounded by modern art, but the grounds outside - littered with portable tables until 6pm, if the weather's fair - can be a more attractive option in the summer...The lunch and dinner menu includes the expected salads, pastas and burger, but the day's specials are far more ambitious. Steamed salmon was served up in a yellow 'curry' broth that tasted like 1970s kedgeree; a playfully-flavoured dish, with the fish nicely cooked. For dessert, the knickerbocker glory was a triumph.

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AA Gill - 3/5

Sunday, July 05, 2009 - The food is really not at all bad, bordering on really quite good. The menu does breakfast, and then there's a sort of grab bag of constructed lunch. I had a vitello tonnato that was generous and nicely made, with those small intense capers, and not the ones that look like frogs' testicles. Flora had pasta with a tomatoey crab sauce, which she said was really good, but then she's a teenager and has been living on toast and Pringles for six months. For pudding, she had strawberries and cream. I had a knickerbocker glory, which ought to be gay, but isn't. Multi-storey ice creams are redneck kitsch, not camp kitsch.

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John Walsh - 10/15

Saturday, June 20, 2009 - The dinner menu is laughably small, reminding you that the Mess's main function is a cafe/bar for breakfast and lunchtime snacks. Its main courses hum with predictability though its daily specials show a little more life...Madeleine's prawn cocktail was served in a sundae glass: juicy prawns and 'lepping-fresh' crayfish in 'bloody mary' creme fraiche, so cold and fresh tasting, it gave us goosepimples. It was hard to detect much vodka or Worcestershire sauce in the dressing, but it was delicious. My English asparagus salad with organic egg was a real taste of summer.

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Fay Maschler - 4/5

Thursday, May 21, 2009 - Paintings and sculptures, a cheeky one in neon, beckon you towards a seating area beside glazed walls inside brick arches with views onto the green. Behind a half-height wall is another dining room where on the first visit we sat across from a seven-foot high black laced-up shoe. My first course was avocado and fennel salad with beetroot, organic seeds (majoring on pine kernels), pink grapefruit and honey dressing. It was judiciously balanced, extremely good. Cumberland sausage with slow-cooked Puy lentils was, I thought, a bit too feisty.

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"Mess" is a very appropriate name for this joint. It is hopelessly run with service that even an Aberdeen Angus steakhouse would beat. Avoid this useless venue. Worst of all was that they served my party WARM white wine.
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Bernard Jackson-Smyth - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Saturday, October 31, 2009

Myself, my parter and a friend had the misfortune to be there on saturday morning for coffee & a snack. 2 hot-chocolates sent back for being cold; had to ask 3 times for water. Had to ask twice for more thimbles of oil & balsamic with the £2:50 2 slices of bread. And finally had to ask 3 times to see the manager to complain, who when he eventually arrived was useless! Treat yourself, go somewhere else nearby.
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Stuart Orton
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

We decided to escape the noise of the Carnival on Sunday and head down to Peter Jones to do a bit of shopping, all pretty predictable for a Bank Holiday. After a fruitless trip up and down the Kings Road trying to find her a new dress I suggested to my lovely wife we grab a bite and a drink somewhere.

I remembered the piece on this site about "Gallery Mess" so after looking at the menu and like the sound of the scones with cream we decided to pop in. It was reasonably busy inside and out but we were offered a choice of tables. We ordered tea for two and the scones. These came out as 3 mini scones each served with a little individual pot of jam and generous helping of cream. The scones were delicious and warm which was a nice touch.

Gallery Mess certainly look like a nice place to sit and people watch or be seen. Service was professional and the price reasonable. It seems to get in a good mix of clientele. We were particularly taken with the table next to us of twenty-something affluent girls who appeared to think they were in the british version of "The Hills" , Lauren and Heidi had nothing on these 3. All in all very pleased we popped in and a great choice if you are shopping on the Kings Road.
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david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

what the bloggers say

Thring For Your Supper

Monday, June 29, 2009 - A saddle of lamb is chewily overcooked, though its couscous is intelligently spiced and the dish looks delightful. Salmon poached with sauce vierge is excellent, rosy and tender, bathing in extra virgin and speckled with capers. A knickerbocker glory is bizarrely constructed with peanut brittle and bashed up creme brulee, though its fruit bleeds juicily within...Overall, Gallery Mess is ideal for a spot of lunch after a morning shopping on the KR. Its product is far better than you'd expect in a gallery caff.

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Gallery Mess

what the critics say

Zoe Williams - 6/10

Marina O'Loughlin - 3/5

Guy Dimond - 4/5

AA Gill - 3/5

John Walsh - 10/15

Fay Maschler - 4/5

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

what the bloggers say

Thring For Your Supper

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