"Ridiculously OTT, but food hits the spot"

Added Wed 19 Oct 2011 by Leila

Gilgamesh is the epic Camden restaurant that preceded its neighbour, the even more OTT Shaka Zulu, having been built at a whopping cost of £16 million within the confines of Chalk Farm’s Stables Market in 2006. The Pan-Asian restaurant also happens to be a glamorous destination for a Friday night, as numerous scantily clad girls arrive “just for drinks”. They even have a bouncer at the entrance who asks for your name before allowing you to ascend the escalator to this humungous venue (it has a capacity of over 500 people) with an extravagant 40 foot high ceiling. It’s a bit like being in a colossal American shopping mall, but it’s not just its size that astounds - the main dining area is plain ridiculous, with hand carved bas-reliefs, gilded furniture, marble pillars and a red and gold colour scheme. Imagine the Egyptian room at Harrods serving food and you’re halfway there. It also happens to be as packed as Westfield at the weekend and equally noisy, the glitzy surroundings clearly pulling in the punters. In any case, we are ushered past the masses to the restaurant’s very own VIP area aka the Babylon Lounge, a quieter, more dimly lit affair with red drapes surrounding the individual tables; it’s all very Arabian Nights meets Boujis.

The food comes courtesy of Ian Pengelley, a Pan-Asian expert formerly of Notting Hill’s E&O and Chelsea’s Pengelley’s, who fostered his love of Asian cuisine whilst growing up in Hong Kong. The menu is a tad confusing to begin with for those of us accustomed to the starter, main and dessert tradition, as it’s organised into sushi, Gilgamesh dishes, dim sum, tempura and small dishes, with the addition of the separate Seafood Bar menu, only available in the Babylon Lounge, the contents of which can be inspected at the bar, displayed over ice.

If the ornateness of the place screams style over substance, we’re very pleasantly surprised with the food. The supremely creamy black rice risotto with crab and bonito (served in a martini glass for added razzle-dazzle) is cooked with truffles; the “fish and chips” is a plate of tender pieces of seabass in a golden crispy batter with chunky hand cut chips and a slightly spicy mayonnaise. Despite being under the small plates section, a large bowl of deliciously sweet crispy caramelised pork hock is clearly intended for two.

From the Seafood Bar we sample the native lobster mayonnaise, with succulent flesh peeking out of its shiny shell and a side serving of thick mayo. The steamed razor clams arrive in their elongated shells, the soft shellfish resemble overgrown mussels and are delicious when dipped in a vinegary dressing - so many bowls of dressing arrive we lose track of what goes with what. There’s a citrusy condiment of Japanese origin, various Soy-like sauces, and what appears to be a dish of water with sliced red chili that goes untouched.

Another quirk particular to the Babylon Lounge is the Peking Duck table service. A member of staff wheels a trolley around to each table and shreds a whole duck in front of your eyes, before stuffing it in pancakes with spring onion and hoisin.

Then there are the desserts: a rich, gloopy chocolate fondant, an orange and dark chocolate mousse, a mildly flavoured green tea crème brûlée and a selection of sorbets and ice creams including mango and pistachio.

At over £100 for a meal for two it’s on the expensive side (what else can be expected of a restaurant with a lapis lazuli stone bar carved in India by a gang of craftsmen?) but at least the food hits the spot.