Dinner at Dishoom: Lands a good punch!

Food & Drink

Mar 9

Nestled between Jamie's Italian and Cantina Laredo, the Covent Garden branch of Dishoom will stand out, partly due to the crowds of Londoners it seems to attract.

Without a reservation (we would recommend booking in advance if possible!), customers may find themselves queuing a while before being seated. However, your patience will be rewarded with steaming chai served to you in authentic glassware and in our opinion, the food will definitely be worth the wait!

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Vintage Bollywood memorabilia, checked tiled floors and a sign that includes: 'No bargaining' and 'All castes welcome' adds a welcome change of atmosphere from many a Indian restaurant in London. Dishoom proudly acknowledges itself as a 'Bombay Café in London' to combat the demise of the original Irani Cafés, established by Persian immigrants in India.

Dishoom has definitely succeeded in capturing the essence of these places with its attention to detail: in-stained mirrors in the bathroom complete with neglected bindis, the glass cabinet of vintage beauty products in each cubicle and the odd sepia family portrait dotted around the place.

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Food wise, Dishoom will not disappoint. Choosing a few dishes between you to share might be a good idea to take advantage of the different flavours on offer.

We'd recommend:

Murgh Malai from the grill which ended up being a garlic, ginger, coriander creamy favourite along with Roomali Roti.

The cranberries in the Chicken Berry Brittania made this biryani interestingly sweet.

For those of you that like a traditional Hydrabadi biryani, go for the Kachi Lamb.

The great thing about Dishoom is that the speed of the food is second to none which made ordering more dishes such as Chicken Ruby, some naan and daal, quite simple. There was not much waiting around and food was 'dishoomed' to us as it was 'prepared' much like the menu had promised.

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For anyone who has visited India at least once, you may have encountered the Pepsi and Coke equivalent, named 'Thums Up'. Dishoom offers you the chance to wash down some of its culinary delights with this Indian classic.

Pudding at Dishoom gives you a choice to either step out of your comfort zone and try something different such as Pineapple and Black Pepper Crumble or play it safe and opt for a or Gujju Chocolate Mousse or Dishoom's answer to Eton Mess: Memsahib's Mess.

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Go For:

- Great Food being 'dishoomed' to you

-The Attention to Detail

-The Vintage Quirky Atmosphere

We'd Suggest:

-Booking if possible to avoid queues, particularly at the weekends!

Would we go back?

-Definitely for dinner.

Next time we'll be ordering:

Sausage with chilli, tomato jam and cream cheese or the 2 runny eggs in a spiced roll for breakfast...!

Our Verdict?