Open Gate for earthy eats

The Gate Vegetarian Restaurant is more down to earth than E&O. It has no pretensions and, as the name suggests, is purely vegetarian. But that doesn't mean I would hesitate to take a carnivore there - this food appeals to everyone.

Tucked away behind one of my favourite music venues, the Labatts Apollo, you will find the large converted loft space that is The Gate. As soon as you walk in, you feel at ease. There's nothing stuffy about this place. It has a relaxed atmosphere, with sunny yellow walls and bold, retro, monochrome paintings.

While looking at the menu, we enjoyed a half bottle of Comtè De Robart Cuvèe De Reserve Champagne at £16. It had a fresh palate and a good fizz, but wasn't quite chilled enough. The wine list isn't overwhelming; we opted for the house Organic Bianco Italina at £10, which proved a good choice.

An exciting, creative menu had much to tempt. Wild mushroom rotolo was inspirational - with butternut, goat's cheese and oyster mushrooms wrapped in thyme-infused potato and served with perfectly cooked broccoli and a white-wine-and-cream reduced sauce.

To overcome any menu dilemma, a good tip is to try the meze, giving a taste of everything. We devoured the lot, the highlights being semolina gnocchi filled with cherry tomatoes and dolcelatte. These were melt-in-the-mouth.

Feta cheese and couscous fritters came rolled with crushed pistachios and served with rocket and red and green harissa. The Japanese roll was fresh, crisp and tasty, while the halloumi, char-grilled in a tikka marinade and served on a skewer with vegetables and a chick-pea salsa, had a chilli kick that rocked.

I should mention that every table was taken. The clientele are a good mix of most age groups - all seemingly relaxed, casual and confident foodies.

Anyone and everyone comes here. I have brought reluctant meat lovers and they have left feeling surprised and inspired - enough to make them eat here again and again. Service is always friendly and helpful.

WE felt it our duty to order the chocolate, prune and Armagnac fondant with Chantilly cream. This was a real taste sensation, despite our already bulging waistlines.

The cappuccino crËme br°lèe had that perfect balance of coffee and cream; it was smooth and stylish - one of the best I have tasted.