Dishoom Covent Garden
Covent Garden, London
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To mark its 10th birthday in 2020, the original branch of Dishoom in Covent Garden underwent a dramatic refurb. The decor still pays homage to old Bombay’s Irani cafés (whirring ceiling fans, sepia photographs, vintage artefacts, Art Deco trimmings) but the new look now makes reference to the city’s cinematic heritage from Parsi theatre and silent movies to the all-singing, all-dancing glitz of the talkies. Apart from that, it’s business as usual for the hordes who continue to queue and pile in for a lively all-day menu of reimagined Indian favourites. Roll up early for one of the famous bacon naan rolls or a plate of kejriwal (fried eggs on chilli cheese toast) or get sociable later on by sharing a host different dishes. Street-food snacks and grills such as Dishoom’s murgh malai, pineapple tikka and spicy lamb chops line up beside various ‘Ruby Murrays’, slow-cooked biryanis (try the chicken Britannia), black dhal and the house special – ‘auntie’s recipe for the very best masala fish’, griddled in a banana leaf and served with coconut chaas. For afters, dive into a sweet, cooling ‘mess’ of fresh cream, crushed meringue and strawberries perfumed with rose syrup and gulkhand (rose-petal conserve). To drink, there’s a fascinating array of coolers, esoteric beers, wines and cocktails with colonial overtones.
