Babylon at Gilgamesh

Camden isn’t known for its glitz & glamour, but if you’ve put on your glad rags & that’s what you’re after, Babylon is the closest you’ll come. The immense bar attached to pan-Asian restaurant Gilgamesh is dressed to the nines with shimmering bronze walls, big statues of Buddha, & a hand-carved, lapis-stone bar top that seems to go on for ever. The young crowd is just as snazzy. Drinkers tend to bypass the brimming selection of saké in favour of martinis such as the Kutu (gin, chilli, mint & grapefruit), or long drinks including the Dilmun (Ketel One Citron vodka, watermelon, mint & cranberry). Exotic flavours continue with the bar snacks: duck & watermelon salads, prawn tempura & soft-shell crab sushi rolls, for instance. Given the amount of bling on show, it’s refreshing that Champagnes start at around £34, & there are plenty of wines in the £20-30 bracket.