Gul & Sepoy

Gul & Sepoy

We take reservations for the main restaurant and dining room for up to two calendar months in advance.

A FORMER TOWN HOUSE, THE VENUE IS DIVIDED INTO A MAIN RESTAURANT AREA AND A PRIVATE DINING ROOM.

THE WHOLE VENUE CAN BE HIRED TO HOST PRIVATE PARTIES AND EVENTS, ACCOMODATING UP TO 60 PEOPLE.

THE PRIVATE DINING ROOM CAN HOST SIT-DOWN DINNERS AND LUNCHES FOR UP TO TWENTY GUESTS WITH A BESPOKE FEASTING MENU OR A MORE CASUAL CANOPY STYLE MENU.

FOR ENQUIRES AND RESERVATIONS PLEASE CONTACT [email protected].

http://www.gulandsepoy.com

Gul & Sepoy

We take reservations for the main restaurant and dining room for up to two calendar months in advance.

A FORMER TOWN HOUSE, THE VENUE IS DIVIDED INTO A MAIN RESTAURANT AREA AND A PRIVATE DINING ROOM.

THE WHOLE VENUE CAN BE HIRED TO HOST PRIVATE PARTIES AND EVENTS, ACCOMODATING UP TO 60 PEOPLE.

THE PRIVATE DINING ROOM CAN HOST SIT-DOWN DINNERS AND LUNCHES FOR UP TO TWENTY GUESTS WITH A BESPOKE FEASTING MENU OR A MORE CASUAL CANOPY STYLE MENU.

FOR ENQUIRES AND RESERVATIONS PLEASE CONTACT [email protected].

Gul And Sepoy, London E1: Restaurant Review - olive magazine

Our expert restaurant review of Gul & Sepoy, a new Shoreditch restaurant that’s putting a modern spin on Indian regional cooking.

You can’t accuse Harneet and Devina Baweja of resting on their laurels – the duo have launched three restaurants in just two years: the much-praised Gunpowder (offering food inspired by Indian home cooking), followed by Madame D – specialising in Himalayan cuisine – earlier this year and, as of this autumn, Gul & Sepoy, within spitting distance of the other two, on Commercial Street in Spitalfields.

Overseeing it all is executive chef Nirval Save, previously responsible for the fêted food at Gunpowder and Madame D. Inside, Gul & Sepoy has the kind of spare décor that is de rigueur for this trendy section of East London – bare, unfinished walls (here in soft, earthy hues), an oak-panelled bar and plain wooden tables and chairs.

Potted pig head with blood masala onions was a luscious example of nose-to-tail cooking, while clams in a dry masala were vibrantly fiery, sprinkled with tiny, whole chillies.

Drinks-wise, we sampled creations from Gul & Sepoy’s concise cocktail menu: an aromatic cardamom and chilli margarita and a passion fruit sour that was beautifully dry and fruity.

Gul & Sepoy, Whitechapel, restaurant review: Indian small plates ...

The team behind Spitalfields’ Gunpowder have diverged from more standard Indian culinary paths, to bring their sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding dishes to East London Coming in through the snow into Gul & Sepoy’s sandy, Tatooine-esque interior on Commercial Road, I’m met with a rush of incense, Indian spices and, therefore, excitement.

The restaurant, launched by the team behind ‘home-style’ Indian kitchen Gunpowder in Spitalfields, is more froufrou than its predecessor, and is loosely structured around a two-tiered system inspired by both regal North Indian cooking, and food more commonly enjoyed by foot soldiers.

My dining partner’s chilli and cardamom margarita has a strong, rich sweetness, and my beer, Forest Road Brewery’s IPA, Work, has found its spiritual home here: paired with Indian food, its bitter quench makes perfect sense.

If the pig head is comfortingly familiar to omnivores, the same is true for veggies and this dal – the slow build-up of spice through the lentils and rice is classic coastal Indian, with the pineapple singing through on top, enlivening but not masking a great dish.

The whole soft shell crab is overwhelmed a bit by the amount of batter, and comes with an aubergine and tomato pachadi (an Indian term that refers to food that has basically been pounded into mush) that doesn’t really cut through.

Gul and Sepoy: an explorative Indian adventure from the ...

Along with chef Nirmal Save, the husband and wife team have opened Indian restaurants Gunpowder, Madame D and now Gul and Sepoy - all within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

One half of the menu, Gul, focuses on dishes inspired by the banquets of the Raj palaces in northwestern India, and the other, Sepoy, showcases more rustic, provincial-style dishes based on what the soldiers of the old Indian army would cook while on the move.

Potted pig’s head with blood masala onions is a warm and unctuous terrine minus the toast.

This isn’t a place to come for well-executed curry house fare, but somewhere to lap up small plates of boldly flavoured dishes that may well not be available anywhere else in the city.

To match the menu, the restaurant’s two floors boast distinct styles; upstairs echoes India’s more majestic side while downstairs is more basic - but all dishes are available throughout.

Gul & Sepoy: 'Not as clever as it thinks it is' – restaurant review | Life ...

So it is with Gul & Sepoy, a new, modish restaurant in London’s Spitalfields, offering a clever menu of dishes from the Indian subcontinent which isn’t quite as clever as it thinks it is.

The other side, headed Sepoy, is the food eaten by soldiers patrolling India’s coastal regions.

It’s a similar deal with their royal guchi pilau rice dish (£14 online, £16 if you want to eat it) and their potted pig with masala onions (£8 online, £11 in real life).

At which point I’m afraid I have to go all wistful and mention the Pakistani grill houses just down the road in Whitechapel and their brilliant dry mutton curries; dishes of darkness and power, akin to a deep tissue massage that makes you grunt with effort and purr with delight.

For the past two years chef Ben Churchill, aka the Food Illusionist, has been wowing fans with online videos of his whimsical dessert creations: think the edible washing-up sponge, or beans on toast cake.