The Gantry writes...

The Gantry bar and restaurant on Brockley Road has generated a huge amount of comment since it opened in the summer and the team behind it has written to us to answer some of the questions raised on the review threads. They say:

First of all, we would like thank everyone for their comments and feedback. Our first few months have been a whirlwind and it’s hard to believe that we have already left the summer behind us and are instead taking bookings for Christmas!

As you may know this is our first venture in the restaurant business and as such the last few months have been a steep learning curve for us all but as we stand here today we can say that we are incredibly proud of what we achieved so far at The Gantry- we are proud of our team, of the food that we produce and the drinks that we have on offer.

We set out to be a fantastic local venue and it is wonderful to see that so many BC readers have enjoyed great evenings out at The Gantry, whether that be in the restaurant or at the bar. It is, of course, disappointing to hear that we have sometimes fallen short of expectations but it would be a mistake to think we are by any means perfect. We are always trying to get better and feedback, both good and bad, is crucial in order to make this happen. So a big thank you to everyone.

We thought it would also be good to use this opportunity to clarify a few things as there seems to be some confusion regarding opening hours, garden, menu, etc. The different nooks and crannies both outside and in are what make the space at The Gantry so special but it also makes for some lets say...particular challenges.

The Garden is open until 6pm every day except for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday where we are allowed to open until 9pm. We did request an extension in our original application but the usage was not amended from that of the former TMT due to the potential noise impact on our neighbours. Everyone is free to use the garden as they please - you can have a full-blown meal but you are just as welcome to sit down and enjoy a few drinks with friends. There have been some unbelievably sunny days over the summer but when we have not been so fortunate there are always some brave souls who are willing to face the elements....with varying degrees of success! We should also note that we do not currently take reservations in the garden, as the British weather is just too unpredictable.

We have been gradually introducing greater choice and variety on our menu ever since opening, including some great new vegetarian dishes and it will continue to change as we move through the seasons. We offer weekly specials to make sure there is always something new to try and of course continue to offer our irresistible bar snacks. We have also very recently started doing a fantastic range of breakfasts on the weekend so although we can clearly not be all things to all people, we have tried to get most bases covered! Hopefully there is something in there for everyone to enjoy, so if you have not yet had the chance to give The Gantry a go, we would love for you to do so. Our full opening hours and menus are as follows:

Monday - 5.00pm - 11.30pm.
Full menu served all day. Kitchen closes at 10.00pm

Tuesday to Friday - 11.30am - 11.30pm.
Lunch menu served until 3.00pm. Full menu served all day. Kitchen closes at 10.00pm

Saturday - 10.00am - 11.30pm
Breakfast menu served until 3.00pm. Full menu served all day. Kitchen closes at 10.00pm

Sunday - 10.00am - 11.00pm
Breakfast menu served until 1.00pm. Sunday Roast and selected items menu served from noon. Kitchen closes at 9.00pm

On a final note and just to put minds at ease regarding our wine list. As a few people have mentioned already we have spent a great deal of time and effort devising a small but, in our humble opinion, excellent wine list. However, this effort is clearly not transmitted through our menu, which is a temporary item that has more than outstayed its welcome! We are very proud of every wine that we serve and the prices we are able to offer and hope this will be better reflected with our new (soon to arrive) permanent menus.

Hopefully we have covered most things but if there are any queries or if anyone would like to get in touch then we are always available via email chitchat@thegantry.co.uk

Once again a big thank you to everyone for their continued support and feedback.

All the best,

Team Gantry