"The interior is jaw-dropping – walls are decorated with a marvellous frieze of the Babylonian King Gilgamesh..."
Helen McNutt, GQ Magazine - November 2007 |
"The vast restaurant is dark and atmospheric, with a mix of beautiful half-moon seating and grand carved tables with throne-like chairs..."
Hannah Ricci, View London - September 2007 |
"The bar area is both funky and beautiful with a choice of round tables with stools and sofas decorated in rich fabrics..."
Louise Elgin, Dine Online - April 2007 |
"If you’re going to build a restaurant that resembles a Babylonian temple complete with a roof that peels back to reveal the stars, it’s only fitting that you should spend at least £23m on doing so. After all, the Messopotamians didn’t do things on the cheap and neither should you. If you are Gilgamesh in Camden Lock Stables, north London, you stamp gleefully all over it. Here’s how the most expensive restaurant launch of the year breaks down – Mr Sheen budget not included…"
N/A, Arena - January 2007 |
"Its namesake Babylonian hero would feel right at home in these pillared premises - swathed from floor to ceiling in dramatic wood carvings, and boasting a huge, retractable saillike roof - which offer a new canvas for respected chef Ian Pengellery to prepare imaginative Pan-Asian fare."
Troy Segal, Zagatsurvey 2007 - September 2006 |
"The food is good. One is encouraged to eat sushi followed by dim sum (which is odd, because John’s three-year posting in Hong Kong taught him that dim sum is strictly a lunchtime affair), followed by a big plate of something from somewhere else. The nigiri is decent, though expensive and of limited range (four fish only – usual suspects). The maki rolls are well-made, standard-issue Cali-Jap. Scallops on cubes of sweet belly pork is a very good dish indeed. Dim sum are cleanly executed and tasty. Miso sea bass is Nobu’s miso cod as usual, giant lobster chunks are maybe a bit hefty for the tempura treatment."
N/A, Times Online - August 2006 |
"It’s astonishing. You get in up an escalator. The main dining room is huge, and must seat up to 300 people. Every surface is covered in bas-relief and woodcarvings taken from the great collection in the British Museum. These aren’t copies, they’re proper Bollywood pastiches, handmade in India. The service is charming, though the de rigueur description of every dish is an infuriating interruption. Then there’s the food. How could I forget? It’s a jabberwocky collection of Nobu Asian stuff: Japanese, Korean, Californian sushi; Chinese Singapore dumplings; Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese style."
AA Gill, The Sunday Times - July 2006 |
"‘Wow!’ is a word that easily springs to mind as you enter this vast newcomer, in the offbeat location of Camden Market..."
N/A, Harden's - July 2006 |
"Ian Pengelley, famous for Notting Hill's E&O restaurant, has upped the ante. The overall impression is, appropriately for a restaurant named after an ancient demi-god, of vast, grandiloquent size..."
N/A, GQ Magazine - July 2006 |
"Gilgamesh is not just Camden’s hippest new bar and restaurant, it is a milieu that juxtaposes the ultra modern with the ancient historic. Apparently it took six hundred (!) carvers six months to complete the intricate artwork that festoons this vast cavern. Set in a huge warehouse-style space complete with fully retractable windows and vaulted arc ceiling, a lavish backdrop has been created. To say this is a visually stunning assault on the senses is not an exaggeration. The entrance is accessed by escalator, and as I rose up and away from the bustle of Camden Town it was as if I had been transported into some über-trendy New York spot. The main dining room, which must seat around 300 has the kitchen in full view behind the regal sphinx like statues that depict Gilgamesh, the ancient Babylonian king who according to legend was two thirds God and one third human and was a figure of immense power and status. This is chef Ian Pengelly’s latest venture specialising in the Pan Asian cuisine for which he is renowned. The menu is split into several sections and offers a flavour of tastes from across the Orient..."
Louise Elgin, Dine Online - July 2006 |
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