What: Yet another Spitalfields Indian from team behind Gunpowder and the more recently opened Madame D’s. Gul & Sepoy offers a menu with two distinct themes. The Gul half is billed as elaborate, rich and inspired by ‘royal flavours of northern India’ while the Sepoy half showcases less involved and less expensive dishes from the south of the country.
Who: Husband and wife duo Harneet and Devina Baweja and chef Nirmal Save, who already oversees the food at Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated small plates joint Gunpowder and the Himalayas-inspired Madame D’s, which are both located just to the south of Spitalfields Market a pakora’s throw from Gul & Sepoy. The Gul part of the menu references the Baweja’s north east Indian roots while the Sepoy contingent is a homage to the southern villages in which Save - whose CV includes The Tamarind Group and Kensington’s Zaika - grew up.
The food: The Gul menu includes the likes of whole leg of roasted kid goat served with pickled root vegetables to share; korma fashioned into a roulade with three different types of bird; and jackfruit and walnut galouti (a type of kebab comparable to a kofte). The Sepoy section is designed to be a counterpoint to Gul’s richer options. It includes potted pig head with blood masala onions; a chunky, spice-studded wild rabbit terrine with celeriac and pickled fig; masala clams and snails with moong dal.
The vibe: Spanning two floors, each level represents one side of the menu. The elegant first floor dining room is decorated with marble, in homage to the ‘Gul’ half of the concept with carved wood features, and feasting tables. Meanwhile on the ground floor Sepoy level, décor is casual and relaxed with plenty of natural light, antique guns and potted plants.
And another thing: The two sides of the menu don’t just complement each other in terms of flavour. They also allow for the kitchen to work in a resourceful way. Prime cuts of meat are used in the Gul dishes, and the leftover parts of the same animals go into the Sepoy menu. Harneet believes that nose-to-tail eating should not be confined to European cuisine, and is using Indian food as a vessel to demonstrate that.
65 Commercial St, London E1 6BD