Dishoom Covent Garden

Dishoom considers itself as part of trendy Covent Garden but in actuality is more Leicester Square, conveniently near either tube station. As my companion and I arrived at the opening of this Bombay café, we were slightly bemused by it classifying itself as ‘Bombay’; Having both been to Mumbai, we have been trained to be as PC as possible, referring to it by its new name.

Whatever Dishoom is, it is certainly trying to avoid being lumped into being categorised as a stereotypical Indian restaurant. As we walked through the door, we were greeted with a choice of two cocktails and moments later Adarsh, organiser and brain behind Dishoom, greeted us. He is clearly proud of his baby and gushed over the menu, comparing Dishoom to a traditional ‘Bombay café’ like ‘Leopold’s’, he described how the menu is inspired by dishes from Chowpatty Beach, street vendors and cafés but aspires to infuse food with a familiar English twist.

Looking at the menu, it is certainly unlike your average curry house. Open from breakfast until midnight, there is an unusual range of dishes from the house porridge and bacon or sausage naan rolls to shorba (lightly spiced soups), salads, grills, daals, biryani and chocolate fondue.

Surveying the scene, we rapidly consumed our bombalada and house punch cocktails and having been chastised as ‘silly girls’ for failing to replenish our drinks, we positioned ourselves next to a black and white image of an Indian Ugly Betty.

Dishoom is a great open glass-fronted space with mahogany panels dotted between mint green brick walls filled with old family photos; an extremely high ceiling covered in welcoming fans and a long bar attractively fitted above with mirrors between what appeared to be an old station clock.

Sitting at our marble effect table, we were impressed by the attentive and friendly staff who tried to ply us with multiple drinks and tempt us with Bombay sausages, calamari, minced lamb with Nepal bread, chilli cheese toast, chicken tikka, sheekh kebab, lamb samosas, Desi fish fingers, masala prawns and paneer and grilled vegetables.

Three hours on and the once pumping room was still trendy but less suited – it was almost possible to hear the indiscernible beats through the nattering. Finishing our kulfi on a stick that unavoidably reminded me of corn on the cob, we sat back to sip the stomach settling Masala chai. So full of drink and chatter, it was time to explore the vast expanse downstairs, where we were impressed by the medicinal toilet décor and ten-person booths.

Dishoom certainly felt a bit different, but it was relievingly dissimilar to the uncluttered Leopold’s it was first compared to. And, unlike its model, there was room to relax, intimately converse and savour the delights before you.

Dishoom
12 Upper St Martins Lane
Covent Garden
WC2H 9EF

Tel: 020 7383 2686