I visited Gunpowder last week for a quick lunch with a friend. I owed her a dinner having lost a bet last year regarding how quickly my hair could grow, but that’s another story. Actually, that’s pretty much the whole story.
Gunpowder doesn’t accept reservations, so we had to be there at midday when they opened. Typically, we actually ended up getting there at around 12.40pm, by which time there were only four seats left.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Gunpowder is the smell of spicy goodness coming from the kitchen, which was enough to get me excited about what was to come. The second thing you notice is how small the place is.
If you go as a pair, you’ll probably have to share a table, as we did. It’s a tiny little place, probably not more than 20 seats in total but it didn’t feel too cramped. The room is sparsely decorated, lots of exposed brick and bare lightbulbs, simple furniture and a small bar.
We ordered two glasses of lemonade (they serve Fever Tree) and then two shots of rasam ke bomb, Porzhi okra fries, half a baby chicken chargrilled in Tandoori spices, saag paneer, beef pepper fry and some rice, and were advised that each dish would come as it was cooked, so dishes may not be served together.
The rasam ke bomb arrived first, a thin, spicy soup served in a shot glass, topped with a wafer-like sphere which was filled with potato. You can break the top of the sphere and pour the soup in, which my friend did, but I chose the eat-a-bit, drink-a-bit method instead. It was absolutely delicious – spicy, warming and full of flavour.
Next came the Porzhi okra fries. These were crispy, slightly spiced and very tasty. We picked at these throughout our lunch and even the ones at the bottom of the bowl were perfectly crispy.
The baby chicken was very nicely cooked, moist and accompanied by a delicious sauce. Likewise the beef pepper fry was gorgeous, with a little more heat than the dishes before and tender meat with a nice texture. I didn’t try the paneer, but my friend said it was very good.
I particularly enjoyed the rasam and the okra, but everything we had was delicious. This is the perfect restaurant for winter, lots of great flavours and spices to warm you up (without any of the dishes being so spicy they’re uncomfortable to eat). The staff were really helpful and friendly, providing clear explanations of the dishes and advice on how much to order – although we ended up over-ordering anyway (and they invited us to take away our leftovers).
Another thing I really like about Gunpowder is that if they are full when you arrive, they will text you when a table is available, saving you the pain of having to queue up in the cold.
The total bill came to £60, which included 12.5% service charge. A bit steep for lunch perhaps, but the food really was very good. I will definitely be back – if only to try the old monk rum pudding, as we didn’t have time for dessert on this occasion.
Albatine x
