Dishoom - London

Hello,

You will have to forgive me for I am not in my brightest element just yet, not only do I have a cold but I'm soaking wet due to leaving my umbrella back at the office where it is left happily comforted by a randomly placed cake recipe. But that is the price you must pay for good food.

Today I took a trip down to leicester square to try out the highly rated Dishoom 'Bombay Cafe'.

Dishoom - which means 'The old Bollywood sound effect produced when a hero lands a good punch, or when a bullet flies through the air' - prides itself on paying a homage to original Bombay Cafe's opened up by Persian immigrants in the 1960s. Be under no illusion that this is like a typical Indian restaurant as you may find a Biryani, Naan Bread and Samosas listed, but you will not find a Korma or Tikka Massala. Which is a great thing because you are made to try something original and different rather than going for the 'safe option'.

See menu: http://dishoom.com/menu/

Atmosphere is quite calm, really friendly staff who offer to take group photographs, booths and table for different group sizes. Rather large floorspace and a good distance between each table. Although if sat on a single table for two people, table space is limited especially when you order lots, I was alone and it was a little cramped (so ask for a bigger table if it's possible).

The food is remarkably fast, there is not much of a starter then main course structure, you order a main course plus side orders and they come as soon as they are ready.

Just to also point out the following photos are a bit shoddy, apologies if they not do the dish much justice.

I had a good idea of what I wanted before I entered so I ordered everything in one go, I set out for a lamb biryani, vegetable samosas and garlic naan bread (which the waitress suggested for it to be buttered, a suggestion worth remembering) and a drink.

Within a minute my samosas (£2.90) arrived nice and hot with 3 sauces that accompany the entire meal (a spicy pickle, cool raita and a tamarind chutney). Remember these are not starters but side orders so 2 samosas are more than enough, very light and crispy.

After about 2 or 3 minutes, the biryani (£8.20) arrived with the naan bread (£1.90) in an individual sized pot, the waitress took off the lid the release it's lovely smell and left me to tuck in. The naan bread itself was thin and light, although if your anything like me I would suggest maybe two portions.

The Biryani smelled wonderful and underneath that top layer of rice were about 6 really chunky pieces of lamb, not shredded, not small, chunky! More lamb than rice for a change. Hopefully you can judge the size from the picture below. It was claimed to medium spiced but I would say it had much more of a kick for a mild spice lover, the flavours were very powerful and distinct, the meat was firm but tender at the same time.

The Verdict

The meal overall was delightful and extremely efficient in terms of service and delivery time. I do think that one side order, a main course and naan bread is enough for one person (£15.20 incl a drink), however if I was on a night out with friends I would be ordering at least 2 side orders and few more drinks and an extra naan. Not forgetting dessert!

From a couple of sneaky looks at the next table, I'm sure I will be going back for a grill course next time. My eavesdropping also picked up a series of good comments on each dish presented to them!

Whether it is really true to old style Bombay Cafes or not, I think you will be very happy with the food and especially the service. Is within very short walking distance from Leicester Square station (Covent Garden is further away despite the map!) and within an hour I made it from Holborn and back without rushing my meal!

7/10.

Details:

12 Upper St. Martin's Lane
London
WC2H 9FB
Tel: 020 7420 9320
Reservations for 6 or more

£15-20.00 per person

http://dishoom.com/