Dishoom, Carnaby

On my most recent visit to London, myself and a friend were jammy as anything and managed to swipe ourselves a table in a muchly coveted restaurant called Dishoom.

In the heart of London’s West End (a mere stones throw from Oxford Circus Station), I took a touristy snap of the famous archway and then scuttled my way to Kingly St. Upon arrival at Dishoom I was immediately struck by the intensely delicious scent of the place, the noisy chattering and the authentic decor, which was cool, contemporary with many nods to Indian heritage.

As we perused the gargantuan menu I was thrilled to see such an amazing message in it’s own dedicated box on the lefthand side

Certainly an added advantage of choosing to eat here!

We kicked things off with some cocktails because – why not!?! The Bollybellini is what I went for “Raspberries, lychees, rose and cardamom sparkling with first-class Prosecco. A very pretty missy.” <- their words not mine!

and a gin thing (not the official title, I just can’t remember, but it was equally delicious!!)

We were instructed on how best to negotiate the menu – order 3-4 dishes per person to share – which we had NO problem with!! So we started with their Garlic Naan “with minced garlic and a coriander sprinkle”, these flavours coupled together to make a truly delicious naan!

We also got some Vegetable Samosas “fine filo pastry, pea and potato filling warming spiced with cinnamon and cloves” and were heavily talked into trying out Okra fries by our waitress who said they were a Dishoom delicacy and we couldn’t not order them… and to be fair – NOM!

Each table is given a trio of Bombay sauces and we tried & loved them all

I won’t lie to you – everything got dipped into these sauces!!

We also ordered, Butter-Bhutta “corn-on-the-cob, brushed with butter and grilled over charcoal fire, finished with chilli, salt and lime. Chowpatty beach style” which, as simple as it may sound, was ever so tasty!

When you visit Dishoom, your must check out downstairs where the kitchen is in full swing (don’t worry you won’t be in trouble, you have to head past if you’re en route to the bathroom anyway),

it’s a pretty cool sight and seems to be a non-stop kitchen where everyone is run off their feet at all times owing to the heaving population upstairs awaiting their stunning India cuisine!

just look at all this pre rolled naan dough ready to be fried

Anyway! Back to our table, we OF COURSE ordered a couple of curries, first up was the ‘House Black Daahl’ – this is a Dishoom signature dish, “dark, rich, deeply flavoured. It’s cooked over 24 hours for extra harmony”, we decided to give it a try and whilst it was very nice and indeed punchy in the flavour department – it wouldn’t be something I ordered again – it was just a little too heavy for me.

We also had some steamed Basmati rice – fair warning, there’s a lot of rice in just one order – so we shared and it sorted us out just fine!

Our second curry option was the Chicken Ruby “A good and proper curry redolent with spice and flavour. Tender chicken in a rich silky ‘makhani’ sauce”

This was excellent and definitely my favourite of the two curries we tried. After dinner, we enjoyed some tea – peppermint for me and jasmine for my friend. Dishoom is top of my recommendation list for friends when they go to London and fancy an evening of the very best Indian food – and remember – if you have to wait awhile for a table, don’t worry, their cocktails are awaiting your taste buds!!

Find out more about the one we went to near Carnaby Street here (they also have other locations which may be a closer option for you, see here)