I NEVER imagined I’d be having dinner with a metallic fairy. She was sitting among some cupcakes with a painting of a poppy behind her and people interwoven with each other on the windowsill.
The fairy was an extra guest when my friend Kate and I called for dinner at The Gallery in Heckmondwike.
The name says it all really, this bistro is also a gallery with work by local artists on show – the fairy sculpture was one of the pieces in the collection, along with the porcelain cupcakes.
The Gallery is part of the Revive complex in Croft Street, incorporating a hairdressing salon, day spa, including Turkish bath, and Cafe/Bistro.
The work of Slaithwaite artist Jane Galvin is currently on show but the art work changes every two months. Artist Pam Lonsdale coordinates the pieces in the collection and those behind The Gallery also invite local schoolchildren to display their work.
The restaurant side is not a massive place, it’s a modern dining area with stylish lighting, artwork on the walls and sculptures dotted around.
You can even have a glass of wine in a Turkish bath upstairs before dinner, but Kate and I stuck with the food.
There’s a daytime menu with the usual cafe offerings – breakfasts, sandwiches, baked potatoes and paninis, they also do an Afternoon Tea special too with dainty crockery, sandwiches and cakes.
But we went for the evening menu which is split in three sections – grill, tapas and the specials board.
I’d phoned ahead and booked and had already looked at the menu online. As a vegetarian, I wasn’t going to try the grill section, but knew Kate would. I love tapas-style food, but seeing the specials board threw my pre-made decision into the mix – that night they had vegetable stew along with a few meat options including grilled fish and lasagne. Staff told me they update the specials board depending on what seasonal produce they get in.
However, I stuck with my tapas decision and went for Aceitunas – olives marinated in olive oil, garlic, chilli and feta cheese (£3.50) and Humus Y Pan De Pita – hummus and pitta bread (£3). I also chose the Escalivada, a medley of stewed vegetables (£3.75) and Patatas Asadas, roasted baby new potatoes flavoured with rosemary and garlic. But there were plenty of meat and fish options to suit every tapas taste.
Kate had a choice of steaks – as well as tuna steak and chicken breast, but she went for the 8oz Sirloin steak, cooked well done with mushrooms, chips and salad garnish (£10.95).
It took a while for our mains to arrive, the tapas arriving in true-Spanish style, as it was ready, which is how it should be too. Kate and I tucked into the pitta and hummus and both agreed it was good.
The hummus tasted like it’d just been made in the kitchen – the occasional chick pea remained, a sign it has not been shop-bought.
The mix of green and black olives with feta were perfectly oiled and not overly seasoned with garlic – I much prefer it as a subtle flavour.
The Escalivada was brimming with flavours and the courgettes, aubergines, onions and peppers perfectly sweet – it was flavoured with a tomato and oregano infused sauce and comes highly recommended by me.
Kate’s steak was cooked to required perfection – the chips chunky and looked like proper chips too and not fries. It was also a generous portion size too, she struggled her way through it and, like me, was conscious about leaving room for dessert.
Plates cleared away and we were tempted with the dessert menu. The waitress talked us through the choices – hot chocolate fudge cake was ignored in favour of the raspberry cheesecake for me and the raspberry and apple crumble for Kate.
My cheesecake was quickly finished off – it arrived sprinkled with chocolate but the raspberry flavour shone through and the biscuit base was deliciously buttery.
Kate loved her crumble too – she didn’t think she’d ever had raspberry in a crumble but would recommend it. And it came with a generous serving of warm custard too. If I’m honest, I was slightly envious if her choice, though that’s no critique of my selection.
As we finished the owner came to tell us about the place, and you could tell there’s passion about it. The Gallery is a unique concept, each of the areas aim to complement each other and give customers the chance to pamper themselves. Having only experienced the restaurant, I would recommend it, and maybe I’ll visit that Turkish bath next time.
The Gallery
3-7 Croft Street, Heckmondwike, WF16 0EX
Tel01924 406065
Website www.thegallerytapas.co.uk
Opening hoursMonday 10am-4pm, Tuesday 10am-5pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am-11pm and Saturday 9am-6pm. Closed Sundays.
Children Welcome
Disabled access The entrance is up some steep outdoor stone steps.
The bill£35.70 for two courses and drinks
Would you go back?Yes
