Gilgamesh Restaurant Bar & Lounge

Impressionnant restaurant niché dans un quartier très vivant. Ce qui marque, c’est la démesure façon «Babylone» du cadre, en passant par le mobilier et même les toilettes (elles valent la visite). L’équipe d’origine internationale offre une cuisine «melting-​pot» comme on dit à Bruxelles (un mélange de goûts et de cultures), que j’ai trouvé moyenne. Mais l’adresse vaut largement une halte, nom d’un lamasu!

This review is for the drinks only.
We were recommended to drop into this gem in Camden Market by our family just for cocktails and a good window seat to take in the hustle and bustle of the market. That is exactly what we did. The service was a little on the slow side, but the drinks were spot on. The menu is huge in terms of food, but we just opted for drinks alone. I had the Ninsun champagne cocktail; it was light and refreshing with the right amount of bubbles. Husband had a couple of drinks (indicated in the photos), and he was very pleased with the options available.

Pretty good, Buddha bar style restaurant but not really high end.
It’s big, a lot of space (which is nice).
The menu is kind of a random but good assortment from all different Asian cuisines ranging from Thai fishcake broth to Indian curries and Japanese Udon noodles. Food was nice.
Friendly staff, mainly Italians, don’t know why.
An unbelievable number of people were this Friday apparently celebrating their birthdays here, sparking desserts and cakes being brought to their tables all the time, funny but also a bit annoying, so we decided to say we were also celebrating a birthday, but with a wink ;-) and got a sparking dessert, with a wink ;-)

I had the pleasure of visiting Gilgamesh on a Tuesday afternoon for a business lunch. The Resturant and bar is enormous and a little off putting when there are only three small groups at this quiet time. With that said the place was wonderful. It is a mishmash of styles, with large seating areas and amazing wood carvings. The menu had good choices for both Vegitarian and non. The service was well paced and I did not feel rushed even though the kitchen closed about 45 minutes after we arrived. I would defiantly do here again.

So yes, Gilgamesh on a Sunday meant I would not behaving my usual Sunday dinner at home which could be oven roasting, baking and or leftovers from the previous day.
I am not one for doing too much fussing around for food on a Sunday I generally do stay at home, but on short noticed I was informed that we will be joining my relative for their birthday at Gilgamesh. To be honest I was not keen as I thought it would be a lot of fuss and I would prefer the simple home cooked dinner, but I have learnt over the years to go to restaurants with a open mind and open stomach.
First things firsts, it is easier to find parking late evenings or weekends when the street market is closed. We parked outside the McDonalds and walked straight up the road for 8 minutes over the bridge to the restaurant. Off the market street located in a small alley way near Shaka Zulu stood the ominous triangular building pointing face towards us.
Now because I never been to this place before I did not know what to expect from service, price, food etc. but I repeat I went to the restaurant with a open mind and open stomach.
Going inside up the escalator I notice there was a security man at the entrance checking out our foot wear which was odd as I didn’t realise I was going in to a club I thought it was a restaurant? hold on it is a restaurant the security guy was trying to look busy!
Now getting past the night club bouncer I straightaway said to myself I like this place as it was an excellent mix of people where some were dressed really casual with their families. Others looking really smart and elegant on their dates and of course us the smart casual crowd for the birthday dinner.
Now the dishes we ordered were hit and miss for many but for me I was lucky to have a hit with my jumbo grilled shrimp dish that came with sweet crispy fried seaweed styled carrots, sliced and shredded sharpe vinegar tasting white cabbage with dots of pomegranate seeds in places. It also came with a beautiful light sauce that was light brown in colour. I felt my dish was absolutely the one! Unfortunately however this was not the case for a number of the people were in my party as they were not a fan of there duck dish and green rice. To be honest I thought my coriander fried rice with chicken was a great side dish for my main.
On reflections I thought the £50 we spent was good as the food had substance on a plate that was dressed nice but that is if you order the right dish
Now I would come back but the next time I want to experience it as a dinner for two rather than a group and be even more adventurous with the menu.

Similar review to a restaurant next door — I cannot fault the food it was top class even on a groupon voucher excellent value for money for a 3 course meal and glass of champagne but the service really let this place down. We went for lunch time at 1.15 but didn’t get out till after 3 granted I was late but we felt ignored most of the time and when they forgot the rice with our mains they acted as if we had said something really bad! Plus we were left waiting for the bill for over 10 minutes and at the time there were 5 staff on and we were the only customers, they didn’t check on how the food was and the place was dead so no excuse. Food was only reason it got 3 stars but doubt I would go back!

A terrible experience from what was my favourite restaurant! I decided to come here for my birthday as I love the Thai Green Curry and cocktail selection, and being my 25^th birthday, my favourite restaurant seemed the best choice. I have dined at Gilgamesh many times previously and had never had a negative experience, and although I had read some bad reviews online, I never thought that I would experience such a poor level of service. Things were unusually disorganised from the moment we were seated. We were sat at the very back of the restaurant, where staff would hurriedly and infrequently zoom past to serve one table and disappear without looking to see if another table needed anything, and I did wonder if that was going to affect the quality of service we received. We looked down at the menu’s and realised that they were the set menu’s, so we asked the waiter for the regular menu and ordered drinks and ice water for the table. The drinks were delivered to our table in around five minutes, but we still hadn’t been given the menu’s or ice water. We asked the waiter (a different member of staff to the one who had seated us) for menu’s and ice water for the table. After a few minutes the menu’s finally arrived and we ordered, though we still hadn’t been given any water! I decided to try to catch the attention of another member of staff (which took a good few try’s) and ask yet again for ice water for the table, she smiled, said «Don’t worry about it!» And disappeared. Our starters arrived around 5 minutes later and yet again asked the waiter for ice water, we were then given a pitcher of warm water with cucumber slices, I was going to settle for this until I saw the table across from us being brought a pitcher of water with ice! When our main courses arrived, I asked again for water with ice, and mentioned how dissatisfied I was with the service so far, and finally, after more than half an hour, we were given ice water. We finished our dishes and decided to skip desert and ask for the bill, as we were all feeling frustrated with the poor service we had received, and so began the second ordeal of the night. We waited for almost half an hour in total, firstly for the bill, then for somebody to bring us the card machine so we could pay for our meal, and when somebody finally came over, we were then told to wait because he had to personally guide somebody from another table to the bathroom! By the end of the evening, paying for our meal and leaving felt like an escape! My birthday meal was a complete disaster and I was left utterly shocked by the abysmally low standard of service. Safe to say, Gilgamesh is no longer my favourite restaurant.

The food was delicious and the décor of the restaurant is unlike any other restaurant in London! The service was quick and they even asked us about our allergies. Highly recommend!

Always amazing food at Gilgamesh! This time we did the set menu for £27.50 (if you book on open table) Glazed Salmon and Seafood Jungle curry were to die for! Then choc chilli cake… Yum! Great service as always

I usually avoid Camden now as it can be too touristy and frankly feel a little too young for me. Maybe that’s because I hung out here so much as a teenager there’s some residual angst. Anyways a friend suggested Gilgamesh and it didn’t disappoint. A strange escalator entrance transports you up to the upper level and frankly into another world. its the experience that counts at Gilgamesh and it is sumptuous! Very well done and with a price tag to match. The service was almost faultless apart from out complimentary Unilocal check in cocktail order not following us to our table. I was expecting to be blown away by the food and well, I was underwhelmed given the price tag. It was good but not fabulous and my yellow curry was far sweeter than I expected. it’s worth a trip though even if only for cocktails and apparently dancing is upstairs and a lot of fun.

MEH, MEH, and more MEH!
This place really tries so hard to be something it’s not.
Firstly, with the ginormous space of this restaurant and only the bar area filled with some patrons gives you the vibe of being in an awful huge club where it’s just you and your friends.
Secondly, even with few people, the servers take literally 30 mins before they come up to ask if you would like anything.
Food– meh! Tries to be fancy, but quality and delivery fails.
I don’t know. Went there twice and both times same experience.

I last reviewed Gilgamesh in 2010 and I have been a patron for 5 years. Over the course of time the service has become more pretentious and rude. It reached an all time low when we came here with a group of 6 for lunch. The waiter opened the meal by asking if we had any dietary requirements or allergies. I mentioned that I was vegetarian and that there were 3 vegetarians in the group. He quickly retorted that «was my personal lifestyle choice and was not his concern».
I would have left immediately if we did not have guests with us. I don’t think anyone deserves to be treated so badly. There is a lack of basic etiquette and understanding which is not to be tolerated. Having not eaten meat or meat stock all my life it would make me very ill if i were to eat something with it in it and as the waiter personally asked our table this was an opportunity this was an appropriate place for me to voice that concern as they were taking request and could potentially advise if something was not appropriate.
Additionally– I had an advance reservation and they sat us at a table with 4 place settings where we had to ask twice for extra plates.
I will not return.

Food was okay to say the least. My husband and I came for our wedding anniversary. First impressions décor was absolutely beautiful and the staff was pleasant. Unfortunately, the food service was below my expectations. The server forgot about drinks before dinner and before our dessert. Our starters and mains were brought at separate times and the expected wait inbetween our meals was a little too long. Overall experience was just okay.

I was lucky enough to dine here in September 2013 and again this year!
I was a guest at a private birthday party on Sunday September 14^th.
The bar staff was fabulous. The private room was large, airy and comfortable.
There were several dishes going around—
Salmon Sushi
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Avocado and Sweet Potato Tempura
Shrimp Rolls – these were good.
I thought that was all we’d be eating…
I was wrong.
They came out and served several dishes with chicken and coconut curry.
Singapore noodles were delish.
I’m still dreaming of the food.
Gilgamesh really makes tasty food – I too wish it weren’t so expensive.

I have recently been at the Gilgamesh Restaurant Bar & Lounge attending my cousin’s birthday and I was disappointed. The interior of the venue was beautiful and the atmosphere was great as were the staff. But unfortunately I can’t say that about the food. All of our dishes were tiny and not as good as we expected for such high prices. It is definitely an overpriced restaurant.

A mad mix of what appears to be Persian décor, Latin music and East Asian cuisine all under one roof.
A little weird, yes, but not entirely intractable. For me, the professionalism of the staff and food quality is enough to stitch the operation together. And the cocktails are highly commendable.
Ask for the discounted set menu when making an online booking.

Weirdly nice place. Food ok. Lot of bells and whistles but nothing that stood out. Came here for a B’day dinner with a group of 10 people

No online bookings for Friday/​Saturday and the number to call is now obsolete.
When the correct number is called, nobody picks up.
Crossed off the list of places to eat in town!

It’s been a while since Gilgamesh opened. The 800 seat ‘super restaurant’ landed in pre-​gentrified Camden Lock market in 2006 like a blinged up supertanker gatecrashing a Levellers gig.
Visually, it’s stunning. The diner to be ascends a narrow escalator, opening out into an atrium space, a cavernous daylight filled dome, filled with ornately carved dark woods and squadrons of hushed staff. It’s definitely one of the more extravagant spaces in the city, as distinctive as the tall tower dining of the Shard and it’s ilk.
Sadly, it didn’t take long to go downhill on a recent lunch visit. Paper towels, scuffed and peeling menus and cheap, unwrapped disposable chopsticks clash with the opulent surround. We were the first people in at 12.30 on a weekend lunchtime, and indeed the only diners for a while, so maybe they only bring out the good stuff (and staff) for the beautiful people later on in the evening.
It’s a surprise that it’s so quiet, given the vast hordes chowing down on hideously stodgy, reheated muck from the noodle merchants below. Despite the prices being more Chelsea that Camden, Gilgamesh have a set lunch menu at £12, so are not so far from competing in price and are surely a step above a styrofoam tray of MSG. I think that there’s more they could be doing to create a welcoming entrance, either that or they need to actively compete with the serried ranks loudly peddling their deep-​fried chicken drowned in gloopy sauce and offer people a taster.
Given the pricing on the main menu, the disparity between the pricing of the set dim sum menu and the a la carte causes some confusion. The latter offers a pan Asian mix with most main dishes hovering in the £17 to £25 level, the former offers 3 ‘types’ of dim sum for £12. With no idea how much that might deliver us we go a la carte.

Mushroom dumplings were green, glutinous and somewhat grim. They filled a steamer basket like claggy shopping bags filled with a lukewarm mushroom vol au vent mix. Similarly, an £8 dish of three unremarkable chicken gyoza arrived flabby and too cold again, their skin lacking any crisp or crunch. Mottled, soft and wrinkled like swimmers who’ve spent too long in a municipal pool. Overall, the mixed temperature of the food became a lunchtime theme, with most dishes just not hot enough. Admittedly it’s an enormous restaurant, but it didn’t take so long to get from the kitchen to justify the tepid temperature of so many dishes.
Ribs were of decent enough quality meat, but had been cruelly treated. Cooked in (or at least covered in) a glossy oilslick of black bean sauce, tasting of a sweet soy that had been punched in the face by a rogue gang of star anise pods and not much more. A rare high came with great tempura prawns. Scattered with a sprinkle of crushed something, jade green methamphetamine maybe, they were as moreish as they were fresh, though four of them for £17.50 is definitely on the steep side.
Conversely, the T’n’T ‘sashimi’ pizza (I’m not entirely sure that’s where best to place the quotation marks, but they need to go somewhere in a half-​baked concept like this) wasn’t the best idea of the day. There’s a T for the tuna, wafer thin slices of very good sashimi, thrown away on an over salted flat biscuit base and violently assaulted with truffle oil (that other T) and acerbic micro greens.
The Chef’s sashimi selection was thickly sliced, lumpen and way too cold for the flavours of the fish to have opened up. I wasn’t expecting Dinings or Umu standards, but I was hoping for better than M&S. We’ve moved on with Japanese and Asian dining in the capital, it just doesn’t feel like the team at Gilgamesh has noticed. Two pieces each of salmon, tuna, prawn and (I think.) mackerel were plonked down unceremoniously by the server unannounced and unexplained.
At £40 a head for an a la carte lunch with no drinks it’s difficult to see me being back to try their evening atmosphere, though I’m sure that for some, the idea of a roped off luxe lounge in the heart of newly wealthy Camden is de trop. It’s a world away from the Hawley Arms that’s for sure. But come here for food? I’m not sure I could do it (and I’m not sure anyone else does). It’s a gigantic bar and club, that also serves food. Overpriced mediocrity I know your name. And it is Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh, Camden Town
Set in the heart of Stables Market in Camden, Gilgamesh is a critically acclaimed pan-​Asian restaurant, hosted by celebrated Head Chef Ian Pengelley.
The stunningly beautiful restaurant has a contemporary style, perfectly fused with the exotic imagery and mystique of the Babylonian era. Gilgamesh leaves guests in awe of its opulent décor, entertainment and unparalleled dining experience.
I decided to treat my partner to a birthday treat and as I’d walked past Gilgamesh many times in the past and wondered at what lay up that magic staircase, I had found the perfect excuse.
One dish that really stood out for me was the Hoba Miso Chilean Seabass marinated with sweet plum. Every mouthful was an utter delight. I washed it down with a beautiful cocktail.
We also enjoyed the Lamb Chops, char-​grilled with a mustard miso dressing. The menu is quite extensive and I look forward to returning to try some more of their mouth watering delights.

Chose this place for a blind date with the following mental checklist:
a) Want somewhere to help me impress, but
b) Don’t want money to be an issue, or him to think I need to eat at pricey places all the time,
c) Need a post-​dinner drinks venue in case it goes well (+ escape route planned in case it doesn’t), and
d) I love Asian food, so may as well check he does too!
I knew Masterchef had filmed here, and a friend saw some B-​list celebs when she came, so with a bar + club attached it seemed to satisfy the above. Figured I’d score some resourceful/​thrifty points by booking a ’50% off the £49 set tasting menu’ too ;)
Setting is beautifully impressive — a soaring, high-​ceilinged space of ornately carved chairs and tables, golden drapes and palm tree fronds. Definitely not what you’d expect to be hiding behind Camden Market.
We were seated at a high table from which your feet don’t quite reach the floor, hence it wins the award for Best Opening Act by a Waiter of ‘take a seat madam, then I’ll tuck your [heavy wooden throne-​like] chair in for you’. Quite surreal but so far, so good!
Pushing aside thoughts of how I’d move the chair without him to get to the toilets later (it turned out to be a struggle), my date and I made small talk for a good 20 mins before someone took our order — far too long given our set menu only needed one choice between lamb or monkfish for main. Still, my cocktail soon cheered me up, though found it strange that they only had one choice of beer and that was Tiger.
Sadly by the time starters arrived, I’d already decided there probably wasn’t going to be a second date (!), but I’ll try not to let that influence my review of the place. Food was pretty good — highlights being the salmon sushi starter with passionfruit foam, the spiced lamb main and the Chinese broccoli side dish. On the other hand the dessert trio included the most bitter lemon sorbet I’ve ever tasted, causing me to screw my face up — highly attractively I’m sure. My tongue is still recovering.
It was the service that made this place feel a little pretentious though — everything took a long time to arrive, then we were served someone else’s mains, after all of which they had the cheek to ask us to hurry up and move to the bar area as they needed the table back. Trust me, if I could’ve eaten the food and made a sharp exit any sooner, I would have!
Had a drink at the bar afterwards — cue strangely mixed crowd of ages and groups, mostly either guys in jeans or mega dressed-​up girls in bodycon dresses ready to hit the club upstairs.
Halfway through my g&t I caught a really foul drain smell wafting through the bar. The bar staff pretended not to notice, ignoring the girls next to us making loud ‘euwww’ noises and asking for free shots in compensation (I joined in at this), before another barman appeared wafting a bunch of incense sticks around. Not sure what they were hiding there!
The mythology geek in me couldn’t resist looking up the name and finding it’s a Mesopotamian king not an Asian reference at all — but let’s not be pedantic! :-$ Not quite as special as it thinks it is basically, but still worth a try if only to marvel at how far away from Camden you feel once inside. Not cosy but works well for a date or a showy meal (our neighbours had smoking sushi on dry ice!!). Oh and decent value with the offer; not sure it would’ve got 4-​stars if I was paying full price.

Öh, ich kann eigentlich gar nicht viel zu diesem Restaurant sagen, denn ich war dort gar nicht zum Essen, sondern habe nur ganz dringend ein WC benötigt
Aber das Gilgamesh ist sehr beeindruckend, ganz im mesopotamisch-​ägyptischem Stil gehalten. Man kann das Lokal über eine gigantische Rolltreppe erreichen, der farbige Doorman schaute mich ohne eine Miene zu verziehen an, als ich nach den Restrooms fragte. Ja, durchs Lokal, an der Bar vorbei und dann gleich um die Ecke. Das war ein ganz schöner Marsch
ein riesiges Restaurant aber sehr gemütlich. Die Toiletten waren sehr durchgestylt, einfach toll! (Gruß an Frau Hase 100).
Ich denke, ich muss zum Essen noch mal wiederkommen London I love You!

A l’entrée de Camden, parfait pour se poser avec tous ses paquets. C’est kitsh, mais c’est beau ! C’est grand, démesuré même, côté décor, c’est parfait (faites un tour aux toilettes, elles valent celles du Georges V en France !)
Côté nourriture, c’est asiatique: chinois, japonais, coréen Le staff vient de tous les pays, est serviable, souriant et très aimable.
Pour ce que j’en ai goûté, la nourriture n’a rien d’Européanisé: le riz japonais est cuisiné comme au japon par exemple, il y a des trucs indéterminé dedans et cuit dans une feuille de banane, ça n’a rien à voir avec ce que l’on peut manger dans nos petit japonais français ! Des japonais qui cuisinent comme au japon avec des saveurs auxquelles nous n’avons pas l’habitude de goûter. Idem pour les plats chinois, coréens, vietnamiens, indiens.
Il faut aimer la VRAIE cuisine asiatique (personnellement, je né suis pas toujours fan, c’est vraiment très particulier) et né pas mourir de faim, les quantités sont minuscule. A part ça je recommande, j’y ai passé un excellent moment (de plusieurs heures, je dois l’avouer !)

C’est l’endroit typiquement cree pour impressionner! Tout est impressionnnant la-​bas. Deja l’entrée! Un escalator pour arriver en haut, des lumieres tamisees, la receptionniste qui prend les manteaux, et finalement penetrer dans l’antre de la cuisine chinoise modernem ou l’on peut etre sur de né pas comprendre un traitre mot de ce qu’il y a d’ecrit sur le menu
Attention, prevoir un rabais de temps pour choisir ce que vous allez boire vu que la liste de cocktails et de sake est longue comme un jour sans pain. Enfin ca vaut le coup de prendre son temps pour choisir vu que certains sont tout simplement sensationnels
Mon meilleur conseil serait de choisir plein de petits plats et de partager vu qu’il serait dommage de rater quelque chose.
Je pense egalement que l’ambiance en fait un restaurant ideal pour un rendez-​vous galant Le manqué de lumiere fait que l’on n’est pas toujours sur de ce qui a echoue dans son assiette mais c’est propice au flirt et aux confidences