What can you tell me about Dishoom Shoreditch?
Back in mid 2010 Dishoom opened the doors of its first restaurant in Covent Garden. The concept was to bring the faded elegance of the Persia- inspired Bombay Cafés to London town. Steeped in heritage and tradition, Bombay Cafés were the perfect places for people of all backgrounds to commune together over the appreciation of simple, yet brilliant food. Dishoom has marked 2012 by opening their second restaurant in the heart of Shoreditch, where it seems they couldn’t fit in more if they tried.
Where is it?
They’re based on Boundary Street, which is tucked just behind Shoreditch High Street. A very short hop from Shoreditch High Street overland station, or a 10 minute stroll from either Liverpool St or Old St tubes.
Who's it suitable for?
Being a casual dining place, and nestled in Shoreditch it does attract a young, hip crowd. With an interior not dissimilar to a branch of All Saints (lots of kitsch props, exposed brickwork and ventilation pipework), it’s perfect for a group of friends looking for a good catch up after work with a few cocktails and plenty of great food. We imagine it probably also does a roaring trade during the day at weekends with its tempting looking breakfast and lunch menus.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
You can’t walk 10 paces through Shoreditch without tripping over a half decent bar to grab a drink. The question really is ‘which one do you pick?’. There are so many to choose from. If the choice is simply too overwhelming then you can always start out with a cocktail in Dishoom whilst you wait.
And where should we sit?
The detailed interior and interesting layout of Dishoom means that no matter where you sit you’re likely to have something/someone interesting to look at. It’s worth taking some time however to head downstairs to sit on one of their lovely original Thomas Crapper wooden shelf-seated toilets. You feel rather like you’ve been transported back in time upon entering the toilets, and end up actually quite keen to remain there for a while.
What should we order?
Hot Dinners actually cheated and had a good study of the menu online earlier in the day and we’d already earmarked a couple of must-haves from that. Our lovely waitress however recommended the Lamb Raan (whole leg of lamb marinated in chilli, garlic and ginger, braised overnight with spices, flame-grilled, pulled apart and dressed with fresh lime). We shall be forever grateful to her for that. It was utterly delicious. Succulent and perfectly spiced it was a pure joy to eat. At £21.50 it’s the most expensive dish on the menu, but could happily feed 3 or 4 people depending on the additional dishes you have.
We also chose Chilli Cheese Toast, £3.20, which came loaded with green chillis and spring onions. Packing a tidy punch it was incredibly moreish and left your tongue pleasantly tingling all over afterwards. To go with that we had Gunpowder Potatoes, £5.50, which are potatoes, smoky-grilled, broken apart and tossed with butter, crushed aromatic seeds and green herbs. These were nice and mild and served as a great accompaniment to the lamb. Finally we had the House Black Daal, £4.90, with rotis. Being daal addicts this was an absolute must-try and it did not disappoint. It was deliciously smooth and buttery.
For dessert we plumped for kulfi on a stick and a cup of their splendid chai.
Is bread included?
No, but the naan breads cost around £2 each and the roti are £1.90.
And what about drinks?
They have a super, and extensive cocktail menu, so it’s simply rude not to try one of them whilst there. We had the Bombay Pimms made with saffron gin, mint, pomegranate, citrus, coriander and fiery ginger beer. Very refreshing whilst at the same time warming and just perfect for when it’s cold and dank outside. We also had an equally refreshing Passionfruit Sherbert which was a non-alcoholic cocktail made with passionfruit, lime and soda.
How much will this set me back?
Dishes are very reasonably priced and as long as you don’t go crazy on the cocktails a decent meal for two would set you back around £55-60.
Overall thoughts?
Dishoom Shoreditch is pitching perfectly to its target audience in terms of style and range of food. Judging by the enthusiastic crowds in there the evening we went it’s sure to be as successful (if not more so) than its big sister in Covent Garden. It’s a great place to go for some authentic style food that’s easy to eat and you’ll probably look a whole lot cooler just by being in there.
Dishoom Shoreditch, Boundary Street, London
Read more about Dishoom Shoreditch
Prices were correct at time of writing. Hot Dinners were invited to eat at Dishoom
