The more and more time I spend in Europe, the more and more vegetarian I’m becoming (shock, horror). There’s a distinct pleasure in eating solid, vegetarian food and there are plenty of outlets that do this quite well. The Gate is one of those, and they’ve been around in London a while, having first opened their doors in 1989. There are three branches across town and my friend Judy and were in the Hammersmith one before our day out to Kew. We were the very first diners in that day (they open at 12) and we subsequently got our dishes lighting quick.
 
My choice was the shiitake ginger gyoza (£14). This is served atop a sweet potato puree with greens, teriyaki sauce and toasted cashews. Judy went for the super cool Aubergine schnitzel (£15). The schnitzel take is layered with smoked cheddar, basil pesto, peppers and tomatoes. It’s served with potatoes, kale and horseradish cream sauce. As you might gather, The Gate pack a lot of flavours in every bite. It’s even better to see this achieved with an ounce of animal (a lot, if not most, of the menu is vegan too).

The schnitzel was a tremendous size serve. The layered flavours work well with the pesto and horseradish. The size and concept of gyozas felt like more of an entree, but the size was right for me, on this day, I enjoyed the savoury, nutty flavours along with the crispy, grilled pastry. We both were big fans of our mains, but the sweet potato wedges were a let-down. These tasted floury and would have been ace if fried instead of baked. If you’re a vegetarian it’s a must try for The Gate, and if you’re not, it’s still well worth a visit.