Stack & Match at Union Social
It’s the new kid on the block. All shiny, sleek and sparkling The Gantry hotel launched its Union Social restaurant just last month (April).
If your idea of a hotel restaurant is of a formal, linen table-cloths, slightly stuffy place then think again. The Gantry has happily re-written the rule book with it’s first floor eatery. Casual smart with loads of polished wood, industrial pipework, a sweeping curved staircase opens up to the most enormous cocktail bar where you can perch for a drink, snack and chat. Breakfasts are popular too, not only among hotel guests but also pop-ins. There’s stiff competition from the ground-floor Hermanos coffee bar with its speciality brews.
Union Social is so right for fast-growing Stratford with its ever-changing skyline, all tower blocks of flats and offices. It’s an ideal space when shoppers tire of retail therapy at Westfield over the road from Stratford International Station. Or visit when they travel to Abba The Voyage, the ground-breaking spectacular stage show of digital avatars. Mega gaming conventions also swell the numbers. As do sporting fixtures at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and soccer matches – West Ham, Millwall, Leyton Orient football clubs all have grounds within whistle earshot.
We must have hit a slump. A miserable grey, chilly and unremittingly rainy Thursday evening sent folks scurrying home and staying in.
The wrap-around terrace, no doubt glorious on a sunny day and at evening dusk, remained resolutely deserted. But inside the welcome was warm and friendly.
The Stack & Match suggests its ‘social menu,’ for those who prefer to mix and match from a choice of 15 savoury dishes and three desserts.
It was the real deal for my veggie companion too, with gluten-free, Vegan and vegetarian plates all on offer. Serious meat-eaters can go for Jack Daniels BBQ beef ribs. (£10).
The flavours are tantalising thanks to talented Greek chef Dimos, who plays occasional homage to his homeland. What’s not to like about glazed Scottish salmon pepped up with chili, sesame and wasabi aioli? (£10).
He pairs pickled red onion and crispy capers with braised baby octopus, (£9) garlic spinach and spicy dip with chicken,(£8) and grilled cushed fennel with zingy sriracha sauce (£6) and long stem broccoli with home-made yoghurt tzatziki and crispy onion (£6). Fried corn bread (£5) and warming Mac ‘n’ Cheese (£6) gave us a carb hit.
Dimos popped out from his open plan kitchen to confirm the mystery ingredient in the latter: yep, nutmeg. He admits to a sweet tooth (me too) so desserts were a delight. We indulged in a silky white chocolate panna cotta with velvet berries granola, and peach and almond crumble with chilled coconut custard and rose petal crush (both £7). Yum!
