Gilgamesh

19-06-2009
QWES QQA  0 

Gilgamesh restaurant !!!!!!!!

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19-01-2009
Katrina Kutchinsky  0 

What an amazing restaurant! I loved everything fromt he decor to the delicious PAn-Asian food. Ian peneglely is a seriosuly gifted chef and I think this is the best PAn-Asian restaurnat in London. I also thought the service and cocktails were excelelnt.

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10-01-2009
Andy Hayler  0 

A very ambitious opening in the unlikely setting of Camden, in a cavernous building tucked away off the market next to the railway line. The décor is vaguely Egyptian, with figures of Egyptian style around the walls, yet Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king (the equivalent of Hercules in Greek myth, though Gilgamesh probably did actually live, with various legends attributed to him). Quite what the connection between an ancient king of (what would now be) Iraq and pan-Asian fusion cooking is a PR mystery rather than an ancient mystery. The place is big: 200 covers seated in the main dining room, a private dining room as well, and a large bar area off the side of the main room. The bar and main dining have elaborate wooden chairs made in India, with inlaid wood much in evidence on the tables. The menu is essentially a cut down version of that at E&O, where Ian Pengelley used to cook.

At my most recent meal the best dish was prawn tempura, half a dozen good quality prawns cooked through nicely with a light batter and a simply soy dip (4/10). This was better than har gau steamed prawn dumpling, which again had good prawns but whose bun was not a patch on that at a top dim sum place like Yautacha.

Beef bulgogi was a lovely dish in the old days of E&O, but it was not executed as well here. Strips of beef were suitably rare but sadly were rather chewy, suggesting less good sourcing. This came with a good, rich sauce of chilli and garlic, but rested on a bed of mash which has been sitting around for toolong and so had become tepid (1/10). Better was a Thai red curry made from assorted vegetables e.g. aubergine, pea aubergine and sweet potatoes; this had an enjoyable, rich sauce (2/10). Asian vegetables e.g. Chinese broccoli were cooked with as suitably light touch (3/10). Ian was "on the pass" supervising dishes going out; it is always nice to see a chef in his own kitchen these days.

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01-01-2009
Greg Cristal  0 

Gilgamesh is an absolutely stunning bar restaurant complex located beside the old Camden stables market, towering as a glass building, overshadowing the overground railway next to it. Up an escalator and down a hallway to the main reception desk the staff greet you among the Mayan temple-like display with eccentric wooden carvings and nooks and alleyways which place a private bar area around the side of a spiral staircase, a large restaurant floor with retractable roof, in a sea of sophisticated diners with some very comfortable booths and a fantastic looking bar. The bar area never seems full, probably because the place is so huge and the variety of drinks is very reasonable, the staff are a little more than friendly, sometimes unnervingly so, but the food is exotic and well presented and the evening falls to grace with beauty, charm and every detail immortalised in the glory of this magnificent complex.

Overall Gilgamesh is a fantastic place, the bar area could be a little more lively and the staff a little less intrusive on private conversation and company but there are very few flaws indeed, if you can afford the extravagance, splash out and enjoy the evening.

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05-08-2008
Sarah

The interior is very impressive and so is the atmosphere and the food. Its just a pity that the service and organisation of the restaurant is appalling. Half our table were served all starters and mains at the same time while the other half of the table had to wait nearly 30 minutes before any more food came out. On average, it also took around 20mins to get a drink.When we did complain we were informed that the kitchen lost our order three times. They did offer to take off the discretionary service charge (how generous) until we argued this further. Unfortunately I know I will not be going back Gilgamesh nor will I recommend it to people