Cuisine: Pan Asian
Location: Stables Market, London
Food: ★★★★☆
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Setting: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★★☆
For any female visitors who might be in heels, the journey to the front entrance is a wobbly one at best, as Gilgamesh’s door step is nothing if not heel incompatible. Once having successfully made it over the cobble stones of Stable’s Market however, the red carpeted entrance is the tip of the stylish iceberg.
Upon taking the escalator up to the first floor, you are met with a carved wooden interior lit with extravagant lighting which promises a trendy night if not a tasty one.
Let’s start, as every good meal should, with the drinks. If it’s cocktails and champagne you’re after, this is the place for you. Apple and fig martinis, lychee martinis and a whole array of fruit based drinks I wouldn’t be able to pronounce but was more than happy to try. Don’t expect to find a pint of beer on the menu, but anything else your heart desires they do and they do rather well.
The service throughout the night was good, there was an initial mix up with our table however they resolved it in a matter of minutes and had us seated and drinking our first round of cocktails in almost no time.
The menu itself is influenced by South East Asia, Japan and China. It has plenty of variety, from Dim Sum to Sushi and Thai and Malaysian curries. The duck and watermelon salad is an absolute must try; despite watermelon not currently being in season it was fresh, tasty and the combination of flavors and textures worked well together.
To start, alongside the salad and our cocktails we ordered Black Cod and Prawn Dumplings alongside Chicken Goyza which came out of the kitchen fast and hot. The highlight of the meal however was the dessert: Milk Chocolate Fondant, Praline and Vanilla Ice Cream.
The food was presented well and whilst it wasn’t exactly cheap, it was no more expensive than I’d expect of any swanky London based restaurant.
If you’re the kind of person who usually enjoys some post dinner fun without having to traipse from venue to venue, Gilgamesh is the perfect place to visit on a Friday or Saturday night as dinner guests are offered a wrist band which allows free admission into the club upstairs. Known as being a bit of a celebrity hot spot, we did in fact spot a member of the Arsenal football team who was happy to take pictures with us.
Between the restaurant, lounge bar and upstairs club, Gilgamesh was definitely the recipe for a fun night, just make sure you remember to bring your card with you, as you will probably find yourself in need to a cash point trip mid way through the night.