Gilgamesh

I guess the best way to begin is to write about my favourite restaurant.

A few years ago there were a few of us wandering aimlessly through Camden Lock Market. After hours of browsing we were parched and hoping to rest our aching feet. Since it was a lovely summer day the whole marketplace was packed to the brim and there was nowhere to sit down if we wanted to eat the yummy international market food. We were looking around desperately when suddenly we spied two pillars of fire and an escalator to take us up into Gilgamesh and out of the mad, mad market.

Going up the escalators was an experience - all of the surroundings were covered in hand carved wood. Upstairs, the restaurant was unexpectedly massive and part of the roof was pulled back to let in the summer air. All the walls and furniture were also carved wood, depicting interesting scenes from the legend of Gilgamesh.

But onto the food!

It was a weekend afternoon so when we spied the dim sum menu we went straight for that. They had a small mix of traditional and experimental dim sum.

We went for:

• Har Gau
• Duck Spring Roll
• Crispy Squid with Garlic Chips
• Siu Mai
• Son-in-law Eggs
• Another type of roll I can't remember the name of

Now the first 4 many dim sum lovers will recognise - traditional dim sum. They were thankfully done the traditional way and altogether very tasty.
The roll whose name evades me was just amazing. It was served cold and it had some coriander and grapefruit in it - just lovely on a hot day, and very zingy!
The son-in-law eggs (a Thai dish) were covered in a hot chilli sauce and were very moorish. We were curious about the name so we asked our waitress who told us the story with zeal - and it is a great one but I couldn't do it justice here!

The cocktails we had there went down dangerously easy, even if they were a little overpriced.

I've been back many times since that fateful day and I can say I haven't been let down. The food has always been better than expected and the drinks never fail to hit the spot.

I must say though, as they have become more well known since their third birthday party which they invited various 'celebs' to, its been absolutely packed and I don't think its possible to just pop in like we did anymore.
But its definitely worth the effort to book, and often toptable.co.uk have a half price set menu deal with them.

A small glimpse of lunchtime @ Gilgamesh with a live band

Happy eating,

Kitsune