Overall rating: 3.5 stars
Price: £30 approx.
Cuisine: Indian
Location: Liverpool Street
After at least 50 visits to my favourite Indian spot, Dishoom, I was eager to head down to it’s rival, Gunpowder, to see what all the fuss was about. Its clever name, ‘Gunpowder’ alludes to the area’s history as the Old Artillery Ground, as well as the traditional indian spice.
However, there is nothing traditional about the menu. The flavours are a fusion of Bengali palettes from owner Harneet Baweja’s native background and Head Chef Nirmal Save’s Mumbai heritage, but presented in a truly European style – I doubt you’d find a whole grilled broccoli at your average curry joint!
We had the paneer (the best dish by far), the okra fries, the aloo chaat and the kale and aubergine salad. The first 3 were great, the aubergine salad was a bit of a let down and didn’t really work as a salad. The dishes are small and great for sharing. It would have been nice to see some bread options on the menu for variation.
Overall, it was enjoyable, the cocktails were great and even feature Indian spices too. The downside? The restaurant is walk-in only and is TINY (and always full). The seating is not so comfortable and there’s hardly any room for movement. Be prepared to queue, but its worth the wait.
Address: 11 White’s Row, London E1 7NF
Phone: 020 7426 0542
