Arts

Gamma Gamma Review

I never thought I’d ever eat Zebra, after all it’s not a dish you see everyday in London. But that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday when OnIn.London dined at new restaurant Gamma Gamma.

Gamma Gamma is a pan Asian restaurant in the heart of London. Their vision is to bring products eaten across the globe to London to showcase different cultures whilst giving them an Asian influence. This gives diners a true culinary experience.
A tapas styled restaurant, it is recommended guests order 3-4 dishes per person. The menu is separated into raw and cured meats, salads, grill, crispy, steamed and curry. When you order the staff explain the dishes will come out when prepared so just be aware you might be getting a light salad after a more heavy meat dish. We were able to sample eight dishes that are described below, however there are many more dishes available that include chicken, lamb and beef or are vegetarian.

Excitingly, our first dish was zebra loin tataki with charred grapes, popcorn, sake cured egg, sriracha jelly and orange blossom labneh (£12.90). We both enjoyed the thin meat slices and the combination of ingredients created varying textures and tastes. We could easily imagine zebra being added to he various cold meats served with cheese and crackers.

Next we had a dish we’d ordered due to the sound of it- I mean how can you not order something with ‘battleship’ as part of the description? Guncan Maki is also known as battleship maki. If you’re still wondering what this is than you are not alone. Maki is sushi, and battleship or guncan maki is a sushi where it is shaped like a boat and only has one topping. Our topping was kalamansi cured octopus, grilled merguez sausage, seaweed salad and black tahini (£8.90). As someone who doesn’t usually eat sushi due to the raw fish component, this was a simple but pleasantly surprising variation on a classic that we would recommend.

Travelling to Australia, we sampled some kangaroo steak. As an Aussie, I’d tried kangaroo previously but I managed to convince my friend to give it a go and she was pleasantly surprised. The kangaroo steak was cut in a filipino style steak and marinated in soy, kalamansi, garlic, black pepper and caramelised onion and served with garlic chips (£12.90). The meat is covered by the chips and because of this is not an aesthetically pleasing dish but go underneath and you’ll find a lean, tender meat.

The minced ostrich loin jungle curry was flavoured with aromatic lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and thai chillis (£12.90). We ordered some stemmed rice to accompany this dish (£3.50) on the recommendation of the staff to soak up the juices. Disappointingly, the curry was very mild and bland, making it one of our least favourite dishes of the evening. In contrast, the slow cooked venison and hoisin puff (£14.90) was one of our favourites. The roasted loin of venison in a glazed fig, nikka whiskey and wasabi cream sauce was served in a golden pastry topped with a haggis crisp. The meat was tender, the crunch of the pastry right on point and even the haggis crisp was enjoyable. We’d definitely recommend this dish.

Moving from land to ocean, we sampled three seafood dishes. The sea bass and betel leaves scotch egg was served with rhubarb and pineapple rojak salad and a supposedly spicy peanut butter sauce and costs £13.90. Unfortunately, it was very bland and this contributed to making it our eat favourite dish of the evening. Singapore chilli lobster with bird eye chilli, palm sugar, lemongrass, coriander and ginger was served as small bites with a crispy coating. A simple, tasty dish with a definite chilli kick. It comes in half size for £15.90 or full size for £28. One of our favourite dishes of the evening were the Cornish crab dumplings. These are served in a laksa broth with beansprouts, crushed peanuts, coconut, chilli and coriander. For £12.90 you get three dumplings. Extremely full of flavours they have a strong chilli component which compliments the satay flavours.

Gamma Gamma only opened three weeks ago, and it was clear to see that the staff were still familiarising themselves with how the restaurant functioned and the ingredients in the dishes. Even the chef could not differentiate for a guest the levels of spiciness and said everything was the same level, which was not the case. The guests at the table next to us ordered before us and were still awaiting some of their dishes by the time we were ready to leave, and it took over 30minutes for one of our cocktails to arrive. It is hoped with practice the staff will be more able to fulfil their duties in a more timely manner.

If you’re an adventurous eater or if you’re after Asian influenced dishes, then we’d recommend Gamma Gamma. Located in the heart of Soho it’s perfect for pre-theatre dinner or catch-up with friends.

Address: 6 Greek Street, London,W1D 4DE

Website: www.gammagamma.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gammagammasoho

Instagram: www.instagram.com/gammagammasoho

Written by Caitlin Neal