Unless you live the lifestyle of a 19th-century colonialist, kangaroo, zebra and ostrich probably don’t feature in your diet. Such off-piste ingredients, however, take centre stage on the menu at Gamma Gamma, a new pan-Asian restaurant with a Greek name which sounds on paper like a Soho quirk-fest but that we found surprisingly underwhelming.
Things started promisingly, with a refreshing smoked burrata salad benefitting from some deliciously sweet rainbow beetroots. Next up was Wagyu beef, tenderised with soy sauce and encased in a ribbon of dumpling, which created a really top-notch sour and savoury taste. Best of all was a lamb bao bun with a mint and feta sauce, which, like the restaurant’s name and its culinary inspiration, was an unexpected mix of Greek and Asian flavours.
Sadly, our meal went downhill after this. A very average curry of minced ostrich tasted like pancetta flavoured with lemongrass and chilli, while a Filipino-style kangaroo steak was chewy and bitter. Singaporean lobster was nice enough, but in texture not dissimilar from Chinese takeaway chicken balls and certainly not worth the £28 price tag.
The restaurant’s funky, offbeat vibe works well with the experimental menu and also a drinks list touting the likes of a Smokey Eyes cocktail. Served in a smoking bottle of whisky, dry vermouth, plum wine and chilli syrup, it manages to be sweet, bitter, smoky and spicy all at once.
There are good dishes to be had at Gamma Gamma, just not the ones which are likely to attract all the attention. Stay inside your comfort zone, however, and you should eat well.