Galley unveiled
Founded by brother and sister partnership Marcel Grzyb and Oriona Robb, Galley is a 70-cover contemporary restaurant boasting exciting cuisine, stunning interiors and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Situated on Upper Street, Islington, Galley offers a range of inspired dishes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, all housed within a space that serves up a ‘convivial European café atmosphere’.
TWB Maintenance was the main contractor on Galley, working alongside design practice, Burdett Associates and construction and development consultancy, Neilson Projects. TWB Maintenance was brought on the project, due to a recommendation from Neilson Projects and the end result speaks for itself.
TWB Maintenance had just eight weeks to turn the project around, from an empty space to a fully furnished restaurant. Despite the swift timescale, TWB finished the job on time, without the quality or standards of finish being sacrificed.
The biggest challenge the company came across was finding the best way to bring high end architectural designs to life, exactly how they are expected to be. Regardless of the demands, TWB managed to achieve the visual appearance of the design to an impeccable standard. The feedback from the clients has been nothing but positive and many of the restaurant’s guests have taken to social media to express their delight in the venue.
Managing Director of TWB, Tim Watson told Premier Hospitality:
“We pride ourselves on our quality of finish, so with a specific timescale and budget and expectations it can easily go either way – projects like this really challenge you. But we managed to turn the project around and end up with a really good result. It’s now up and running and the food is amazing, too – it is well worth a visit.”
Working alongside TWB were Neilson Projects – a construction and development consultancy, advising clients and investors on all aspects of their property requirements, with services including purchase and leasing of premises; planning and design; construction and fit-out works. The team at Galley Restaurant instructed Neilson Projects Director, Oliver Neilson to project manage the construction works and new fit-out package. Oliver was given a wide brief to effectively deal with all property matters to deliver the owners restaurant concept. This began with coordinating the structural, interior design and mechanical and electrical packages, and tendering these works to three contractors to obtain competitive prices for the owners of Galley.
Once the strip-out and enabling contractors were appointed, substantial structural works took place to open-up the internal walls in the premises to achieve the open-kitchen concept. Next was the fit-out works, where Oliver worked closely to oversee the fit-out contractors and interior designer to deliver the owner’s restaurant concept.
Oliver Neilson of Neilson Projects, said:
“This was a fantastic project to work on, and there were many reasons to be involved. Initially the design concept, the stunning interiors package, and the high quality fit-out planned by the owners was reason enough push for my involvement. Professionally this was a complex role, where all aspects of project management were required. The time constraints of the project required all the designers, suppliers and contractors to be working flat-out, and so coordination of the team was a constantly evolving beast! Whilst challenging at times, these are the exciting projects that I want to be involved in, and you only have to see the completed restaurant and the exemplary finish to understand the satisfaction to take way from the project.”
Finally, Premier Hospitality caught up with Mika Burdett, Lead Designer at Burdett Associates, in order to discuss the recent developments with Galley. According to Mika:
“I worked extremely closely with the client to develop the brief; it was quite a challenge at the beginning to design the concept because it was their first restaurant. Therefore, I took Oriona’s vision and input from Marcel, as the guiding principles for the interior design. Marcel had been running a busy kitchen for 10 years so he knew what he wanted from the start.
“I wanted the interiors to be very rich in colour and pattern, abundant in fabrics, luxury furniture and detailing. The client’s character is reflected in the design of the restaurant, as it exudes style and sophistication with luxury fabrics and accessories.
“I also wanted to capture a bit of the vintage feel with the restaurant being in Islington – an area where a lot of antique dealing used to take place. Similarly I wanted to incorporate the design-led feel of Islington as I believe that many designers and artists visit the area. The feel of an artist’s studio is portrayed with artwork in the space and a sense of informality.
“My biggest challenge was defining the brief with the client. Getting it right with the client at the very beginning is something that is very important to me.”
The delicious and modern menu consists of tasty dishes including hot and cold seafood platters, as well as small plates which include Hereford beef carpaccio, hand-dived in-shell Scottish scallops and cheddar and ham hock croquettes. Diners can also opt for large plates such as whole lemon sole, Scottish venison, Parmigiana di Melanzane and 10 oz British sirloin steak on the bone.
Appetising dishes also feature on the brunch menu at Galley, including silky chocolate pancakes, duck Benedict, and red mullet and soft shell crab brioche. The tempting dessert menu offers salted caramel tart served with an innovative green tea ice cream; lavender and raspberry crème brûlée, and a selection of cheeses.
