There is a stupendous amount of snobbery in the food world.
Some brag about the number of Michelin-starred restaurants they have visited, others think that macarons are the best dessert in the world while others eat obscure animal parts for the gross factor and shock value. The list doesn’t end there. ..
So earlier this year everyone jumped onto the Dishoom bandwagon.
Did I mention there’s a sheep mentality among foodies too? (Tom and Sally are posh and if they like the place then it must be good. This famous food writer wrote a good review. Oh, I must agree with them to be part of the “in” crowd.)
After a few months the hype in the blogosphere died down and I decided it’s time I paid Dishoom a visit. It’s common for a new restaurant to start off with a bang by producing fantastic food and service then some time down the line loses the plot all together. Unexcited and sceptic to the nth the degree I made my way over there. Yet, I was still hopeful because I certainly didn’t want to travel almost two hours for a shoddy meal.
The eye-catching pink bicycles were hard to miss. Swiftly I was appointed a table and pored over the menu while waiting for my dining companions to arrive. One habit of mine that kicked in the past year or two is to ask for recommendations from the waiter. It really helps when the menu is either too big or exotic plus it’s an interesting challenge to eat what is placed in front of me.
Thankfully, the Veggie Samosas (£2.90) were not dripping with oil but the filling was somewhat average. A new, moreish discovery was made, called Bhel (£3.90), which is a classic Bombay snack comprising puffed rice, pomegranate and tamarind chutney. Although not the best, the Zesty Lime and Chili Calamari (£5.20) was definitely one of the better calamari dishes on offer in London. When I read “bhaji” I think of the grated vegetables rolled in balls that are then deep-fried, so it was a surprise when the Pau Bhaji (£3.90) arrived. The dip had a strong root vegetable taste and a quick read on Wikipedia revealed that the chef had stayed true to the authentic dish, right down to the chopped onion, sprinkling of coriander leaves and dash of lemon. Remarkable.
Five juicy, meaty Grilled Masala Prawns (£9.50) arrived which exploded with flavour. The fiery Spicy Lamb Chops (£10.50) were perfectly cooked; crispy on the outside and sweet and moist on the inside. The show stopper for me was the House Black Daal (£4.70). Deeply satisfying, I could have happily munched morning, noon and night on my fresh Roomali Roti (£1.70) dipped in this creamy pulse dish.
When eating out I’m always looking for inspiration for how to jazz up meals at home. Something that never occurred to me was to add dried berries to my Chicken Biryani (£7.90) – a true winner. Yikes, I forgot what the Curry of the Day was called but everyone around the table made the right kind of noises!
Understandably after such a huge feast there was just not any room for dessert so we gave it a miss. The coffee served in a glass was rather quaint.
At the back of the restaurant is an open kitchen and it’s somewhat mesmerising to watch how fresh roti is made.
My dining companions happened to be my parents who visited India earlier this year. They stayed and dined at Taj: Land’s End in Mumbai and said that Dishoom beat its motherland restaurants hands down. Of all the thousands of restaurants in London, they would like to revisit Dishoom next time they are in town. ‘Nuff said. The Minnaar clan had jumped onto the Dishoom bandwagon. Baa.
Quick Overview
Food
9/10: All dishes were of excellent quality.
Value
8/10: Portions were substantial.
Service
9/10: The knowledgeable staff made superb recommendations and were very attentive.
Toilets
8/10: It did the job.
Ambience
8/10: Café-style interior and casual atmosphere.
Recommend
9/10: Forget about your run-of-the-mill Tikka Masala, Korma and other anglicised tosh. Go to Dishoom for excellent real Indian food!
P.S. I was a guest of Dishoom.
Dishoom
12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane
London
WC2H 9FB
http://www.dishoom.com/
Thanks for the great review – like you I live outside London, so always like to pick my restaurants carefully. Dishoom will definitely be on my list.
p.s – I’d be interested for you to review Cabana – the new Brazilian BBQ restaurant chain. One has just opened in the City and there is one in Westfields, Stratford.
I am at a bit of a loss as to where snobbery comes into it – Dishoom created a flurry of interest when it launched because it was different, interesting and a fun place to visit. The downside is that lots of people blogged it in short order, and that may have bored you to read, but it’s natural to want to share great discoveries with friends, and natural to want to visit places one reads about that sound really good. I blogged my visit in August 2010 and I can’t for the life of me work out where any snobbery came in?
I think Michelle makes an excellent point about snobbery in general and the obscure animal parts observation is true and very amusing.
Great review, and as always excellent photos.
I have not been yet, my insistance of not jumping on band wagons means I am missing out!
I rarely get to anything early on but it doesn’t stop you enjoying it when you get round to it – says the person who watched Friends, Sex & the City, Six Feet Under and Mad Men about five years after everyone else. I’ll probably get around to Downton Abbey by 2015.
Love the super pictures as ever. You can give me some 1.4 tips when I see you soon. x
I am in danger of leaking my screen here. Such good pictures. Sound like a great place too and guess what I had never heard of it oups paper bag over head
Looks really yummy! Great review and nice photos!
i’ve never tasted “proper” indian food before because i’ve never been to India. this i’m sure will be the closest because it was define. Cocktails at the bar downstairs were amazing. Bartenders made me blush a little, funny little boys they were. Highly recommended
Snobbery? Why should there be in this day and age where we are free to make choices and decisions based on personal choice – me personally, I will eat (almost) anywhere that has great food (preferably where the food is dead and well done – I know – there’s more snobbery because I like the meat cooked and not pulsating), great atmosphere and welcoming staff – and I’d probably venture here becauseof the publicity bike – it looks like the bike that the Top Gear team allowed to be painted by kids on one of their escapades (Asia, was it? LOL) All in all it sounds a fab place to visit and indulge! xx