An evening at Gallery Mess, Duke Of York Square, Chelsea

It’s about time and it’s FINALLY happening – my new camera is on its way. Yes, I may have a snazzy looking and extra-large DSLR camera with a gigantic lens, but really it’s a little bit useless and so am I when using it. If the lights just right then the food will look fabulous, but if it’s not then it looks a little something like (I’ll leave that to your imagination). Actually the food here at Gallery Mess looked much better in real life than my photography shows – Angie Silverspoon however is turning into a bit of a pro and took some great snaps during our dinner. We were invited as part of a bloggers dinner, getting to know Gallery Mess a little better and finding out just what the Duke of York Square in Chelsea has to offer along with fellow foodies Mina, Frankie, Angie, Fiona, Suze, Catherine, Poppy & Julie.

The food menu and design here at Gallery Mess is led by the Rhubarb group. They’re a catering company who you’ll probably know best for brining us Sky Garden – that place with the incredible views up in the what was known as “the Walkie Talkie of death” when its (now fixed) curved windows were reflecting sunlight and melting cars & passers-by. The menu here focuses on good British food using quality British ingredients – think of it as an all day brassiere, but set in a beautiful dining room. After nibbling on some freshly baked bread we divulged into a plate of marinated scallops with pea puree and pancetta crisp. As a dish it really could have been better presented, but the flavours were spot on and the scallops executed perfectly with a good crisp and the pea puree giving a full, delicate mouthful of flavours.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the Duke of York Square in Chelsea before, you’re missing out. Not only does it have some fantastic retail shops, but it has one of my favourite markets on at the weekend – selling nothing but food. The market has just about every cuisine you could imagine on offer – but with the added luxury bonus of Champagne always on offer – who doesn’t like to walk around a market with a glass of bubbles in hand? While trying to take myself out of conversation on the impending market coming up at the weekend, I got my cutlery stuck into a juicy fillet steak, cooked a perfect medium rare and full of flavour. My only complaint was it was a little on the small side for the price. Sweet potato fries were legendary and while my dining companions lobster looked the part, I unfortunately only got a single bite, greedy them I say, not me – of course.

Barely room for dessert and combusting at the seems from the sheer amount of wine moving its away around the table, I managed to pluck up the appetite and get stuck into a rich and indulgent chocolate fondant with a lovely pistachio ice cream. As fondants go this really was rather good and I highly recommend you make room. Equally pretty was the champagne poached peaches, English raspberries & rose-water sorbet. A sweet and refreshing dessert which I’m sure is set to spend its lifetime time on my hips – but at least it didn’t feel or taste like it.

I had such a lovely evening at Gallery Mess with not only some lovely food, but also wonderful company (and a fab goody bag). When I first started writing about food I’d never expected to meet such wonderful people across the way, all of whom enjoy the same little luxuries in life as myself. While gallery Mess is not going to be the best meal you’ll ever eat, it’s a sold brassiere offering in Chelsea with the added bonus of being housed in a lovely building and sumptuous casual dining room – with plenty of Champagne to see you through just about any afternoon.

I dined as a guest of Gallery Mess