Whitechapel Gallery Cafe

One day after feasting on a superb plate of delicately dressed salads at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, I met up with a friend to visit the Whitechapel Gallery. The cafe itself is lovely, airy and when we met, spacious with discreet background music (I 've been at a weekend once when the music was so loud we didn 't bother to order). So, all good so far. My friend ordered soup, which was a clear vegetable broth accompanied by a rich, crusty sourdough bread. I ordered a plate of two salads, which looked delicious. But, on two counts, I didn 't enjoy my meal. The main reason was the charring of so many of the vegetables. I 'm not sure why anyone would want to serve cold charred vegetables in a salad. All the sweetness of the vegetable in question goes out of the window, to be replaced with burnt, acrid tastes (incidentally very unhealthy, but let 's let that go for now). The cauliflower was the worst offender I could eat very little of it that wasn 't unpleasant. But there was also burnt squash. Charring vegetables, I know, is very on trend. If you watch masterchef, it 's all about creating 'big flavours '. But does anyone really like to eat burnt food? Pumpkin/squash is so full of flavour, boiled or roasted, it 's lovely but charred? There was a little charred onion too. The second count was that there was very little to write home about in the dressings. So there wasn 't even any disguising the acrid tastes. I would eat here again, but I 'd be very careful picking my food. Value wise in terms of quantity, it 's good, especially in London terms, but maybe the chef needs to really take this whole charring thing back to basics by taste uncharred and charred food side by side and asking her or himself, which do I truly prefer, leaving aside trends? The people at the next table were eating what looked like a delicious watercress soup...

I was visting the gallery with friends and we met up here for coffee. Good stuff , a mixed blend from Brazil .

At this restaurant near Brick Lane in the heart of east London, you'll find a diverse crowd of locals including students, artists, and dreamers. Everyone is relaxed and taking their time, in stark contrast to the bustling traffic just outside. Many patrons can be seen typing away on their laptops as they enjoy their meal.

This restaurant is fantastic! The wine is excellent, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is great. I highly recommend it.

The recent addition of a daytime café at the Whitechapel Gallery offers a variety of hot and cold food options with a rotating menu. A standout dish for us was the hearty salt beef sandwich served with a side of sweet potato salad and roasted garlic. For dessert, we indulged in a scrumptious prune and almond frangipane.