Small plates of food do a meal make… if you eat enough of them. We first visited Gnostic in 2022 and were regular attendees, charmed by its attention to flavour and presentation.
Almost two years on, we returned after receiving an email announcing a new menu. We’re suckers for new menus and had previously resisted communication for fear of eating everything.
The decor remains the same: moody but sophisticated and the team is just as friendly and amenable.
Gnostic bar and restaurant
We were temporarily thrown when given a menu that differed slightly from the one we’d ogled, discussed and decided on prior to arriving. If you do not do this in order to prevent food FOMO, you cannot sit with us.
However, the words ‘lobster roll’ were enough to ease any worry. Made with langoustine and prawns, served in brioche baps and coated in a punchy pink sauce, these beauties got the immediate thumbs-up on first bite.
Served cold, I think I’d have preferred the treat warm but it was delicious regardless.
My friend opted for the crispy squid served in a gochulang sauce with carrots, spring onion and a mayo-like lemon crema, and while previous visits to Gnostic haven’t always impressed in terms of the portion sizes (it does specialise in small plates after all), the serving is actually more generous than expected.
Gnostic’s version of lobster roll
The squid is tasty, with a real Asian flavour to the dish, and the sauce is heaven for umami lovers, even if it did feel occasionally like it could overwhelm the whole plate. The lime crema, however, is a great addition and adds a welcome sharpness and tang that cuts through the gochulang — and if it had a garnish of an Asian slaw, say, it would have been a home run.
Still my friend would happily order the dish again on a return visit.
And the baked celeriac was a great side option for the squid; chunky, yet yielding to a knife, its tapenade-style topping adding a great chilli kick to the cauliflower-esque vegetable. And again, for a side dish, it felt a fairly substantial size to accompany the tapas-style squid.
All in all, my friend remarked that Gnostic has stepped up in terms of quality since her last visit.
Usually, we’d opt for portions of chips with confit garlic mayo but on this occasion, a blustery day in July, ‘proper’ potatoes were to be had in the form of hasselback spuds generously coated in spicing.
Flavourful but not overpowered by heat, they were cooked perfectly, falling apart when nudged with the fork.
Had we not been in company, we’d have used our fingers to pop them into our mouths.
Additionally, we ordered a portion of tenderstem broccoli with chorizo. Oily, al dente stems were slick and the perfect accompaniment to the salty chorizo which, even cubed, made an impression.
Having the third ‘side’ dish as such made the lunch feel more substantial.
Gnostic has definitely upped its game by upping the amount on its plates and it made two hungry diners very happy.
Lobster roles with sides of potatoes, celeriac and broccoli
The food Lobster roll £11 Crispy squid £12 Baked celeriac £6 Hasselback potatoes £5.50 Broccoli £5.50 Soft drinks £6 Breakfast tea £2.80 Herbal tea £3.10 Total £51.90 The rating Service 5/5 Food 4/5 Decor 3/5 Vegetarian 4/5