Soaring down the moving staircase, onto the cobbled streets of
North West One, and hobbling, nude pointed court shoes in hand, towards an Uber
London- this was the penultimate event of my night at Gilgamesh.
There is a place.
Adorning the corner unit of The Stables Market, the ornately
carved entrance to this Pan-Asian restaurant is breath taking to say the least.
Having previously visited Gilgamesh London a few times,
particularly for its older boozy sister- The Babylon Club, I was determined
to sample their updated menu courtesy of Executive Chef- Ian Pengelley. An email
chain, sequence of girl squeals over Kimye’s baby name and four crammed schedules
later- a Saturday night was fountain penned in to “Dine, Drink, Dance and socialize at London’s ultimate attraction”. I think it’s safe to say- The quota
was fulfilled.
Mounting the escalators that ascend to, what can only be
described as a parallel Narnia, you’re met by a plethora of colours, textures
and authentic furnishings which add to the vibrant atmosphere that Gilgamesh
hosts on a Saturday evening. It took us a total of 3 minutes, as observed by
our clever waiter, to decide exactly what we wanted for this three course
fanfare.
Roll in course number one: the ‘party in my mouth’ - Duck
& Watermelon Salad.
The duck was crisp and succulent, accenting the watermelon
incredibly. So what started off as a “dish
to share” became more of a strategic movement to wharf down all duck pieces
before my beautiful friends had the chance to lift their forks (Sorry ladies!)
The wine continued to flow as we continually glanced over to
the kitchen eagerly anticipating our mains, we decided to tide ourselves over
with a quick taster of the Salmon Sake.
With considerable “oooo ahh” factor- the dish arrived
and disappeared almost seconds after touching our hand carved table. Most
definitely signs of a good dish.
Due to it being a Saturday night we had a considerable and
painstaking wait until our main course arrived, but when it did- OH did it
arrive.
Beef Bulgogi. A Fillet of succulent beef smothered in
Bulgogi sauce (don’t let the name put you off- it’s essentially the equivalent
of Korean BBQ sauce) that prompted my palette to croon the sweetest sounds, ascended
upon a heap of Japanese Chive Mash.
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Accompanied with an order of The Prawn Tempura, you know...just in case...
Endless amounts of wine stimulated gossiping later, we shimmied
over to The Babylon Club for a night of cocktails and some of the best 90’s
music I've heard in a while.
Definitely recommended for a fun Saturday night accompanied
by the girls, however do be prepared to wait- especially if you’re famished (as
we were). With news of a new tasting menu for the month of July hot of the
press, it’s the perfect opportunity to sample some of London’s finest pan-asian
food. And what’s more- I hear the roof of the restaurant retracts as the
temperature soars; perfect for the summer!
Gilgamesh- it was a pleasure as always...
