Is Gypsy’s Restaurant the Best Asian Restaurant in Lagos?

Like every other restaurant I’ve reviewed, Gypsy’s restaurant also has its story, howbeit a short one.

 

48 hours later we decided Gypsy’s was where we’d hold our end of the year party (I’d explain this later).

 

Getting to Gypsy’s restaurant, Ilupeju

You see, locating this restaurant and deciding on what to eat were two things we found most difficult during our visit.

Although, Gypsy’s restaurant is located at 34a Gbolade Adebanjo St, Ilupeju, Lagos. The worst mistake we made that night was using a google map for direction. No, nothing was wrong with the map but a lot of things were wrong with us because after alighting from the keke maruwa which took us to the street’s junction, according to the map, we were supposed to simply walk (3 minutes) down the street but unknown to us, the street is split into two, hence the need for an exit gate which was locked as at when we got to it.

We couldn’t force it open, neither could we jump over or crawl beneath. A quick glance at the map showed that we had less than a minute to reach our destination, but there was only one option that we reluctantly took- walked all the way back to the junction to get another keke to take us to the other half of the street.

The Ambience

“… your destination will be on the right.” the lady from my Google map said.
With one step after the other, we prayed they hadn’t closed by the time we get there. And the closer we got, the farther our hopes dashed because the street was really quiet and dark. We were about giving it all up when the air around us started producing a really decent aroma.

I really cannot tell what and what was cooking or boiling but I was sure we doubled our pace into the mildly lit compound as the aroma got more intense. The parking area can comfortably accommodate up to 10 vehicles. The wall was made of some well-arraigned bamboos with some beautiful flowers and mural paintings crawling freely around them. This first impression was enough to score gypsy’s restaurant an A.

We reduced our pace as if to soak into the moment before eventually getting into the ground floor which hosted different seating arrangements with each table illuminated by some really decent bulbs. The simple mini bar stood adjacent to this area. Since we wanted to see more of what Gypsy’s restaurant had to offer, we climbed briskly up the stairs to see the first floor.

This space had an entirely different theme with different sitting arrangements depending on how many guests are coming.

 

The Food

Since we were a group of 5, we got ushered to the most appropriate table, and before we could say the lord’s prayer, 4 small white China plates landed at the center of our table. WTF are these?”, I said in my head. “They will ease you in” said Prince, the soft-spoken waiter who should be in his early 30s.

I hate being the one to decide what to eat whenever I go on reviews because that exercise saps energy, talk less of a Chinese and Indie restaurant. So, I left that task for the rest of the squad. After syncing with Prince, he confirmed our list which comprised of:

• Fried Vermicilli noodle veg Singapore style
• Special fried rice
• Chicken in XO sauce
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Biryani
• Butter Naan
• Juice
• Water

Prince said our order will be ready within 20 minutes so we told him to bring us the juice and water with ice to chill before the food comes.

When the food came, it was far more than we were expecting!

A quick glance at our table verified that we were going to die eating because the aroma was just nothing we could cope with. Tope’s mouth was left open, Bukola kept spitting gibberish and Yusuff couldn’t help but rubbed his palms while Adesi helped with setting up the table.

Everything got set before us in no time. Bukola served everyone and after what took like forever, Bukola threw in the towel before I followed suit. Tope cleared his plate, Yusuf didn’t spare any grain and Adesi requested that Bukola’s leftovers be beautifully packed for him.

With a good look at the table above, you’d see a white bowl with white content. Yes, that’s Butter Naan. I took it home and finished it off with bread. Inside life.

The food was just too good.

 

The Service

From the entrance to the toilet, the staff was just decent. The entire thing made us feel like we were at our big uncle’s house.

 

Prescription

Gypsy’s restaurant is that ideal place where you’d want to go on a first date due to its really cozy nature. It’s also an amazing place to announce breakups (after eating of course!).
Family and friends get-togethers too can best be done here due to the interesting sitting arrangements and availability of dope spots for pictures.

 

Remember I told you earlier I’d explain what this team was about?

Adesi is a staunch Liverpool fan who’s got some insane love for football commentary. Of course, he can’t start a TV show or rent a studio, so he assembled a team of mildly professional individuals.
Tope is so good with lightning and camera setup that he can assemble any location in less than 10 minutes.
Yusuff’s job is more abstract, he ensures Adesi is well psyched up for every show so as to give his best.
Bukola handles the wardrobe and costume.
I run the editing after every shoot is completed.
We had just shot our 12th video within the space of one month, so we thought it ideal to celebrate the win, howbeit small.
No, I’m not bluffing. Here’s the evidence.

Total Amount Spent on Food

 

Verdict

A couple of hours after our splendid timeout at Gypsy’s, I reached out to the team to ask for their opinion about their opinions by ranking different aspects of their experiences.

Here’s a summarized report:

Ambience (7.6)

The fact that this place was carefully made to look like a regular family house is what you’d find fascinating.

Food (7.8)

This actually was the first time I felt fulfilled about the idea of spending so much on food and getting so much value in return.

Service (7)

Nothing major. All questions were aptly answered and we weren’t kept waiting unnecessarily.

Would I want to come back?

Lol, I’m already planning a second coming.

 

This post is dedicated to Aisha Mundi. She was the very first partner I had on my food review series on the blog.

If you feel like joining in on subsequent hangouts, kindly fill this personalty form so I can send you an invite when I deem fit, based on your personality.

I’ve forgotten a lot of things in life. A meal has never been one of them.