"Tasty food, friendly service, riverside setting"

A review of Galleria Restaurant by James Burton written on Friday 7th of September 2007

Just been out for a meal at Galleria after intending to go to Trattoria Pasta Fresca on Mill Road, only to discover it no longer exists.

No matter, we were more than happy with our meal at Galleria. I had mussels for a starter (£6) which were absolutely faultless and served in a delicious white wine sauce. My family went for the cheesy garlic bread (or French bread with garlic butter and parmesan as it's referred to on the menu) - also delicious.

For the main I went for the "Poached filets of monkfish in lemongrass, sweet red chilli cream sauce with tiger prawns, leeks, button mushrooms with basmati rice", for £12.

While some of those ingredients - the button mushrooms and the leeks in particular - only seem to have been represented by a few strands here and there in the dish, it was overall very enjoyable. The prawns tasted fresh and flavoursome, the monkfish was perfectly cooked and the sweet red chilli and lemongrass made for a light but satisfying meal.

I also sampled some sauteed mixed veg, which tasted curiously as though they had been bought at a Chinese takeaway. Probably the oil they were sauteed in? They were still perfectly edible, but a more buttery flavour may have been preferable.

My co-diners were very pleased with their choices, which I cannot be bothered to describe. Sorry.

I had a margarita afterwards, which was ok but not fantastic. For £5.50 I would've expected more, both in taste and presentation, which is a shame as the food was very well laid out. Still, it was perfectly drinkable!

All in all, for the four of us, the three starters, four mains, a bottle of wine, a bottle of lager, three coffees and a margartia, came to around £90. Service was friendly and efficient and there was no intrusive music or rowdy diners (not that it would really be the fault of the restaurant if there were, and it was a Thursday evening anyway).

The only negative point I might make is that, as we were sat out on the terrace next to the Cam (visually a nice location and seemingly not too overwhelmed with mosquitos), we sadly had to put up with smells resembling raw sewage wafting by every now and then.

This is not a failure on the part of the restaurant, and sitting inside would obviously prevent this, but it's a price you may have to pay for enjoying the riverside seats on a warm day/evening.

Anyway, the edge was taken off the smell by the welcome entertainment of being able to watch a spider first construct a web, then catch, and then wrap a moth in silk during our meal. Fascinating, but not something I can guarantee you will be treated to if you visit, unfortunately.

Anyway - overall I would strongly recommend Galleria. Good food, good service, good atmosphere and good value..

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