When Harneet Baweja opened Gunpowder in Spitalfields with his wife Devina in 2014, the aim was to bring home-cooked Indian dishes to London in the intimate, 20-cover restaurant. Having grown up in Kolkata, the pair saw a gap in the market for menus that celebrated the intricacy of Indian cooking. Chef Nirmal Save from Mumbai helped realise their vision, and they’ve since opened Gunpowder Tower Bridge, started offering at-home meal kits and takeaways, and launched a third restaurant in London’s Soho.

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The latest offering, located on historic Greek Street, brings innovative new dishes to the table – Telicherry pan-fried mackerel with mango pachadi, Chettinad duck skewers and Scottish mussels pulimunchi, to name a few – in an ornate, elegant ex-jazz club setting.

Alongside the flavourful food menu is a selection of specially crafted martinis, featuring a saffron-infused option (see below) and a new twist on a classic espresso martini, as well as a wine list that focusses on natural bottles from Portugal and Spain. gunpowderrestaurants.com


Garam masala

A ground spice mixture roughly translating to ‘warm spices’. It differs between regions, communities and even households but it usually contains cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorns, fennel, mace and bay leaves.

Deggi mirch

This is a blend of kashmiri chillies and red peppers, giving it a deep red colour and warm heat.

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Chaat masala

Another ground Indian spice mixture that’s often used in the street-food snack chaat. It’s zingy and sour from dried mango and tamarind powder, and contains a host of other toasted and ground spices.

Kasoori methi

Dried fenugreek leaves – the flavour is reminiscent of celery and fennel.

Mustard oil

This is an oil made from pressing mustard seeds. It has a pungent, nutty, hot flavour.


Gunpowder recipes

Golda chingri

At Gunpowder, garam masala is made by pan-roasting cinnamon, cloves and cardamom until fragrant. It’s then pounded into a powder.

A bowl filled with fried prawns in a creamy orange sauce

Maa’s Kashmiri lamb chops

These griddled lamb chops are fantastic served with a zingy mint chutney and watermelon salad to cut through the meaty richness.

A white plate topped with griddled lamb chops with a side of green chutney

Mustard malai broccoli

Mustard oil adds a pungent, nutty and hot flavour to this vibrant veggie dish, served with a creamy makhani sauce.

A whole green broccoli sat on an orange sauce on a white oval plate

Gunpowder saffron martini

Cointreau and saffron gin give an orange hue to this punchy martini.

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A coupe glass being filled with an orange saffron martini cocktail

Dinner party menus from our favourite restaurants:

Kudu, Peckham: restaurant review and dinner party menu
Dinner party menu from Pilgrim, Liverpool
Bancone, Covent Garden: restaurant review and dinner party menu
Tommy Banks’ dinner party menu
Westerns Laundry dinner party menu
Little Duck The Picklery: restaurant review and dinner party menu
Linden Stores, Islington: restaurant review and dinner party menu

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