No Meshing About

Where can you go and after 15 dishes wish you felt well enough to conquer the rest of the menu?

Gilgamesh is an ultra trendy restaurant/ bar that governs a huge floor space over Camden Market. The extravagant décor of rich wooden carvings and wall to ceiling windows creates a smooth, chic atmosphere that is eclectic and sumptuous.

The dining area is vast and slightly overwhelming, but even on a Monday night it was lively and atmospheric. After sampling a few of the generously measured and meticulously prepared cocktails, I was expecting the same high standards from the kitchen and with former E&O chef Ian Pengelley at the helm I knew that I would not be disappointed.

Starting with the mixed sashimi platter, with fish delivered fresh daily, cleansed and refreshed my palette. The Mr Chang Roll (tempura lobster and chilli mayonnaise) was succulent and had a delicious bite. Not unlike the Rock Shrimp and Shitake, Shimiji and Oyster Mushroom Tempura both with Orange Ponzu. The crunch was fragile and the shrimp a delectable morsel. The mushrooms had a fine veil of batter met with a meaty density that was most satisfying. The lobster Cheung Fun (Dim Sum) was wonderfully juicy and delicately flavoured, and if you’re not a fan of the eyeball-consistency parcel then just extract the real treat from the middle. After a little more tempura, this time Lemon Sole (I just couldn’t get enough of the wonderful fluffy bite) came an Aubergine, Sweet Potato, Tofu Curry. A smooth, creamy consistency fooled the taste buds with a late spicy hit punching through, creating a good balance of interest in a potentially bland dish.

The one slight disappointment for me came in the shape of the Hoba Miso Chilean Seabass. With the seabass marinating in miso for three days you imagine nothing short of a rival for a certain Pan-Asian Park Lane signature dish. Unfortunately not. The bass was slightly over cooked, and didn’t melt in my mouth enveloping my taste buds with the warm sweetness of the miso.