Gilgamesh Review

I look at Camden through rose tinted glass. I see the high street pulsing with people, pouring in and out of higgledy-piggledy parades of stalls and shops, dwarfed by giant models of cherry red boots and flared denim jeans that dangle above the shop fronts like grotesque plastercast idols to Doc Marten and Levi Strauss. The sun’s shining. Suggs is dancing behind me. It’s probably still 1995.

In the cold light of December 2009, Camden looks a little different. The head shops and junk shops - and accompanying Gothic hordes - are still there, and I could probably track down a stall to raid for bootleg Beefheart LPs, if I was that way inclined, but it all feels stale, like the Belgian waffles that curl in the high street’s takeaways. The 2008 fire, along with the redevelopment and accompanying steepling rents across the market has, in a way, ripped the heart out of the old Lock.

Camden Town today seems unsure of itself, caught between a snakebitten, dog-eared past and an upwardly mobile future. And nowhere is this choice starker than at the entrance to the Stables Market, where Gilgamesh peers down on the tacky noodle joints and pop-up pizza parlours like some sort of Pan-Asian Collossus. If the red carpet, escalator and flaming torches at the entrance don’t make it clear, then let’s spell it out: this is Camden, but not as we knew it.

The dining area is imposing, breathtaking, at times almost comical in its opulence, with a domed ceiling reminiscent of a big top, dimmed disco lights and two giant statues of Babylonian Gods staring out over the diners from the far end of the room. Below their impassive gaze, a black-clad army of waiters slalom between hand carved tables and chairs, ferrying artfully arranged sushi, tempura and malay curries in time to tasteful beats.

It really does look a treat. Weeknight two-for-one offers might abound, but this isn’t the kind of place to drop in on when you can’t be bothered cooking – it would be like nipping into Harrods to pick up a pint of milk.

If anything, Gilgamesh is like a grown up version of the sort of old-fashioned Chinese restaurant you’d get taken to by Mum and Dad for acing an exam, or to celebrate your sister’s sixteenth birthday. They even boast dishes designed to get the crowds oohing and aahing like kids at a firework display, though the signature dish of sushi shrouded in dry ice is a slightly more refined older brother to the sizzling beef and black beans that used to fizz-bang out of the kitchens of the Lucky Dragons and the Fortune Rivers of my youth.

Perhaps feeling a little nostalgic, we opted to follow up our starters of avocado and sweet potato tempura and summery Pomello Banh Trang with that old mainstay of the provincial Chinese: duck in pancakes. It didn’t disappoint. The portion was generous and the duck delicious, crisp and coated with a light sauce of fresh plum and spicy salt. All the trimmings one would expect were present and correct, including a thick, dark and just plain wicked hoi sin sauce.

We headed further south for our other main, tucking into a beef panang infused with star anise, coconut and chunks of braised beef so tender they threatened to fall apart on touch – the highlight of the meal for me.

The whole meal was - with the exception of a watery tropical fruit cocktail dessert - uniformly outstanding, no mean feat given the size and cross-continental scope of the menu. While the brashness of the whole enterprise might not be to everyone’s taste, it’s the sheer ballsiness and ambition of Gilgamesh that, ultimately, makes it such a joy: opening a restaurant themed around a timeworn allegory for material decadence in what remains something of a haven for London’s brown ricers might have seemed like a foolhardy move, but head chef Ian Pengelly has somehow pulled it off. Ridiculous? A little. Recommended? Definitely.
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Ben Brill 06 Dec 2009

Gilgamesh Description

Gilgamesh is a beautifully lavish new dining, drinking and entertainment venue in the heart of Camden Town. The menu is based on a contemporary take of Pan Asian cuisine.

Customer Reviews for Gilgamesh

Average (based on 4 votes): 4 Atmosphere: Value: Quality:

The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of Gilgamesh.

“The decor is interesting, the escalator entrance and view of camden lock market unique... however the crowd a bit pretantious and the service appaling! Will never return there again! Portions small and not special with pricey prices that are no value for money. Staff were rude and unattentive to our needs. We were given wrong info more then once with no appology. Not recommended!”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
[ Unknown ], London (3 years 9 months 10 days ago)

“What an amazing restaurant! I loved everything from the decor to the delicious Pan-Asian food. Head Chef Ian Pengelley is a seriously gifted chef and I think this is the best Pan-Asian restaurant in London. I also thought the service and cocktails were excellent. Highlights for me also included the Duck and Watermelon Salad, Chilean Seabass, various Dim Sum ad Chilli Squid.”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
[ Unknown ], London (4 years 4 months 1 days ago)

“I had a really lovely evening at this restaurant. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the atmosphere was exactly what it should have bene on a Saturday night. The food was delicious - we chose loads of different - and were all cooked to perfection. Also, the cocktails were also worth a try! I will be going back asap.”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
Beth, London (4 years 4 months 1 days ago)

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Additional Information

• Cuisine Type: Pan Asian
• Average Price: £60.00
• Dress Code: Smart Casual, no trainers or caps
• Group: (Independent/Freehouse)