GUNPOWDER
lavished in creamy yoghurt, tamarind chutney, charred chickpeas, onions and tomatoes, and topped with a crispy lotus leaf. The result? A Sitting quietly on White’s Row, just off the bustle cooling delight of a dish. Soon after arrived arguably the star, if not beauty, of the show: of Commercial Street, you’ll find this petit spicy venison and vermicelli doughnut. Indian gem. But don’t let its small size belie you Ordered on intrigue alone, after many a its mighty reputation; Gunpowder is forever recommendation, it arrived dressed as a Scotch busy for a reason. In fact, we arrived just as it egg – a hearty beige ball hiding within a deeplyopened at 12pm on a rainy Tuesday, and within spiced interior, served with a sweet and spicy 20 minutes the place was full with drop-ins. dip. Its meaty centre and crispy shell ensured all Admittedly with only a dozen or so tables this the comfort of a box of Krispy Kremes, just with may feel like an easy feat, but then you think of more umami joy and less sickly sweetness. the many other restaurants vying for lunchThe rest of our food arrived, and as we goers’ attention within even a 100 metre radius. spooned moreish mouthful after mouthful into In terms of ‘vibe’, think exposed brick walls, our mouths, it became clear that the chefs at chalk-board menus and bare bulbs – in other Gunpowder really know what they’re doing. words, every bit East London understated High-quality ingredients are cooked with bright, and cool. This would seemingly reflect the vibrant flavours and a knowing food, which they themselves combination of spices. The bhuna describe as a ‘‘home-style ANYTHING BUT aubergine and crispy kale salad Indian kitchen’’. But just one HOMELY, with goat’s cheese, and saag with glance at the menu would ITS DISHES READ tandoori paneer were the perfect beg to differ. Anything but homely, its dishes read like LIKE CULINARY ode to veggie-centric cooking, as were the porzhi okra fries (AKA culinary poetry: karwari soft POETRY ‘lady fingers’). The whole meal shell crab and rasam ke bomb. could have been happily meatThe problem, of course, with free in fact (not withstanding that naughty such an enticing small platters menu like doughnut), but in the name of research we Gunpowder’s is that it’s easy to come over with thought we’d try ma’s kashmiri lamb chops too, a case of ‘kid-in-a-sweetshop’ syndrome and draped as they were in a juicy marinade – the order the whole thing. sort that seeps deep into the meat. We polished And so, we put our trust and meal in the them off, meat between our teeth, and were hands of our lovely waiter. She recommended both feeling ready to wind down with a chai tea we kick things off with the rasam ke bomb: when, quite unexpectedly, the aforementioned a zesty, tomatoey soup shot with a potatocrab turned up. Deep-fried in a light lentil-flour filled puri on top. Punchy and piquant, it was batter, skewered with a lime, and topped with reminiscent of a spiced-up Bloody Mary, only a garlicky, tomatoey compote, we soon found with less vodka and more umami-kick. Next up space – all in the name of research, of course. was their nod to traditional Indian street food gunpowderlondon.com – aloo chaat. Spicy and smoky potatoes were 11 WHITE’S ROW, E1 7NF
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