20th June 2023
Harneet Baweja, the co-founder of home-style Indian kitchen concept Gunpowder, has opened his new disco-themed Indian restaurant Empire Empire in London’s Notting Hill.
The 40-seter Empire Empire has opened in All Saints Road and serves food rooted in the Punjab region of Indian, with dishes such as chicken malai curry and lobster dum biryani. The drinks menu features natural wine, beer and cider.
The venue also plays “Bollywood bangers” from a custom-made jukebox. Baweja said he wanted to create a restaurant that celebrates the “golden age of Indian music”.
He said: “When disco became big in India, my dad would put on his silk floral shirt and bell-bottoms and hit the town – often eating, drinking and dancing all under one roof. This is my personal inspiration for Empire Empire. We wanted to bring the golden age of Indian music, art and food together in one place, and hope this makes for a unique spot in Notting Hill.”
At the end of last year, Gunpowder opened its first international site, in Lisbon, Portugal. The first Gunpowder restaurant opened in London’s Spitalfields in 2015, with a second site overlooking Tower Bridge launching in 2018, followed by a Soho site in September 2021.