Gilpin Spice
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
When it comes to sublime dining, the luxury Lake District hotel Gilpin has more than just the Michelin-star restaurant Source (updated review coming soon). A few steps from the main building, you’ll find Spice, a more laid-back restaurant with an Asian-inspired menu (not forgetting the two AA Rosettes).
It does what it says on the tin: here, it’s all about big, bold, powerful tastes. The dishes weave together ingredients and flavorings from the Indian sub-continent to Japan and everywhere in between, guided by cheery restaurant manager Dave and his crack team of virtuoso chefs. The menu is a masterclass of fresh ideas and familiar dishes levelled up.
Case in point, the Gilpin Spice take on pani puri, inspired by street food in Bihar, North India. The puffy shell is a feat of culinary engineering: light enough to crunch satisfyingly in the mouth, while sturdy enough to hold the chickpea thevka and chevda (aka Bombay mix), and a hefty glug of tamarind water.
Don’t be fooled by the name, this is no water, this is a heavy-hitting, cheek-zinging slug of sauce. Gulp the lot in one but make sure you’re sat down because that ramped-up fusion of texture and tang will send your head spinning.
The wazwan paneer is a beautifully arranged dish inspired by the multi-course meals served up prior to a wedding in India, or more specifically, Kashmir. The paneer is soft and squeaky, charred at the corners, as it should be, resting in a creamy, tomato-based sauce, light on the hot spices but with a light truffle aroma. It’s a fascinating dish – think of it as the flamboyant cousin of murgh makhani.
The chatpata aloo tikki is another dramatic mosaic of a dish – all bold colours, hypnotic patterns and and diverse shapes. Happily, it tastes as good as it looks, and feels like a textural marvel in the mouth.
Flip the menu and you’ll find the freshest and most ornate sushi in the Lakes. The chicken roll is especially delicious – soft chicken breast, wrapped in rice, and doused in teriyaki, but fried on the outside to give it a magical crispy coating. Why isn’t all sushi fried like this? Please sign my petition.
If you’re in and around Windermere, Gilpin Spice is the ideal place to drop in for lunch or to grab an evening meal. It provides an excellent contrast to Source, both in cuisine and ambience, but with equally high standards when it comes to ingredients, ideas and opportunities to indulge.
