Gul and Sepoy: an explorative Indian adventure from the Gunpowder team

Both regal and rustic Indian food get time in the spotlight at the latest restaurant from the team behind Gunpowder and Madame D
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Ben Norum1 February 2018

Harneet and Devina Baweja are on a mission to spice up Spitalfields. 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.

Site number three pulls together two very different strands of Indian cooking. 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.

From Gul comes a decadent partridge leg in a creamy almond-based sauce, served prettily scattered with rose petals and pistachios, and a dish of chicken, pheasant and pigeon, stuffed and rolled together in the style of a multi-bird roast, in a mild korma sauce. Both are well balanced and richly flavoured, but lack the sort of oomph that make the team’s other restaurants such standouts.

The same isn’t true of the dishes that come under the Sepoy banner, though. Interesting and invigorating in equal measure, it’s this half of the menu that is reason to visit.

A tale of two cuisines: Gul & Sepoy spans both rural and rustic Indian fare

Dabba gosht, which sees rich mutton mince baked under an egg-based crust and topped with crispy onions, is a subcontinental riff on shepherd’s pie. Potted pig’s head with blood masala onions is a warm and unctuous terrine minus the toast. Clams are plump and juicy, bathing in an earthy garlicky curry with a sweet coconut edge. And stone bass with a chilli and coriander sauce is as brightly flavoured and searingly spicy as it is vibrantly grass green.

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.

This isn’t just dinner, it’s an explorative Indian adventure.

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