Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh in Central London the An Unforgettable Dining Experience. Gilgamesh has completely blown me away! Every dish was a masterpiece, from the crispy squid and duck watermelon salad to the irresistible duck spring rolls. And as well as the yellowtail jalapeño and the Mr. Chang roll sushi were absolutely divine! For the mains, we had the shaking beef and lamb chops were cooked to perfection, especially when paired with their flavorful egg-fried rice. we are really satisfied. The dessert we had is chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, the perfect sweet ending. The cocktails were just as impressive, the Aruru Signature Cocktail is a must-try! What truly elevated the experience was the impeccable service. The staff and the managers were incredibly attentive, ensuring we had an amazing time. If you’re looking for an outstanding restaurant in Central London, Gilgamesh is the place to be!

Back in the days (10+ years ago) I was a big fan of the original Gilgamesh in Camden and visited numerous times for dinners followed some memorable nights out in their bar/club. So naturally I was curious to check out the new Gilgamesh in Covent Garden which seemed to pop up out of nowhere several years after the prior incarnation had closed down. I visited on a Saturday night with a couple of friends. This new venue is split into two floors, with the basement doubling up as the location of their club which operates on weekends. We weren’t aware of the two options beforehand and were unknowingly allocated a table downstairs. The decor looked familiar from the old Gilgamesh days, but unsurprisingly with a prime location in the West End it was a far smaller space, and definitely didn’t hit you with the sense of grandeur that was a key attraction of the original venue. Anyhow on to the food. The 3 of us ordered the spicy edamame, wagyu tacos, popcorn shrimp, spicy tuna roll, dragon roll, duck watermelon salad, yuzu chicken, ribeye bulgogi, red chicken curry, pak choi and some egg fried rice. For dessert we tried the cheesecake and the chocolate fondant. While there were a few enjoyable dishes such as the wagyu tacos, yuzu chicken and red curry, most items were fairly average, and both sets of sushi rolls were a step lower, really lacking any flavour. We were also advised to order what turned out to be too much food (despite our sizeable appetites!) which is never a good look. Service was ok, but it was hard to flag down staff at times. Communication became even harder once we crossed 9pm and the DJ started playing music at an excessively high volume, more akin to a club than a restaurant, even though all the guests were still eating their meals. And with a purely hip hop/R&B playlist it just killed the atmosphere for me and my friends, although I have to admit the other tables around us - mostly filled with younger Instagrammer types - seemed to be having a good time. On a related note, the staff seemed well trained in taking photos upon request and the lighting on the table also helped the food to photograph well - clearly a venue that caters well to social media posts! We escaped as soon as possible after paying a bill of £400, of which £177 was spent on drinks. Overall a disappointing experience with average food and an ambience that just didn’t work for us, this being a far cry from the original Gilgamesh, which most of the other guests on the night were probably too young to have experienced. We may have had a slightly better experience seated upstairs which was quieter, albeit this wouldn’t have changed my impression of the food. For a trendy pan Asian meal, places like Ivy Asia or Sushi Samba offer very similar menus but with a notably better standard of food, alongside a buzzy atmosphere that I actually do enjoy, so I couldn’t see any reason to return to Gilgamesh but granted it does seem to appeal to a certain demographic.

Great vibe and lovely intricate carved interior. Tasty cocktails and nice starters. Main was disappointing. The vegetarian green curry was disappointing and lacked flavour with hardly any vegetables. Overall though the pre theatre menu was good value for money. We didn't feel rushed at all and service was attentive.