Dishoom has recently opened its tenth branch in Battersea Power Station.
The restaurant was first opened in Covent Garden by Shamil and Kavi Thakrar in 2010 and a decade later, there are several branches across the country,
The group is inspired by the old Irani cafés which were popular in Bombay, now known as Mumbai, during the 1960s.
These days, Irani cafés have almost disappeared, but Dishoom pays tribute them and the food of Bombay.
Dishoom is a restaurant which to me, sat at home in South Wales, embodied London.
I’d see stories and posts of my favourite influencers enjoying the famous black daal, and be green with envy.
I’d be told tales of how delicious a Dishoom breakfast is by my London-dwelling friends, resolving that when I eventually moved to London, I too would eat at Dishoom.
When the opportunity finally arose four months into my London life, it was technically a day of two halves – an afternoon spent in Wetherspoons with my journalism course friends, and an evening spent wining and dining at Battersea’s newest eatery.
My friend Ollie and I arrived at half past six and the restaurant was buzzing.
There were large tables of Christmas-clad co-workers, families reuniting and friends catching up which added a real joviality to the air.
We were promptly shown to our table, one of the servers explained the menu in detail and recommended several of the dishes we went on to try.
The lighting was just right – low, but not too dark and the music amplified the atmosphere without being overpowering.
To begin, Ollie and I opted for two cocktails.
He tried an ‘India Gimlet’ – a gin based cocktail served with Rose’s Lime and celery bitters.
I went for a ‘Bollybelini’ which I’m told is their most popular cocktail.
The mixture of raspberries, lychees, rose and cardamom syrup with sparkling wine was sweet and fizzy without being too much. I can understand why it’s so popular.
When people say the food in Dishoom is good, they are really not messing around.
Everything we ate from the Okra fries to the black dhal was truly delectable.
The okra fries were incredibly morish – deliciously spiced and crunchy, and the array of chutney they were served with created a gorgeous combination, wetting our appetite for more.
Our waiter told us people come to Dishoom just to eat the Black Daal, and I am not surprised. It was mild, but rich at the same time, and incredibly warming for a December evening.
We mopped it up with garlic naan and steamed basmati rice.
We also tried the Bhatti Chicken which is the chef’s special. Described as the lesser-known version of Tandoori Chicken, it was very tasty but I will say it is just nicely cooked chicken served with an onion salad.
The masala prawns on the other hand, were generous in size and flavour.
We tried the infamous gunpowder potatoes cooked in butter, aromatics and herbs and in my opinion, they were the star of the show.
Who knew potatoes could taste so good?!
For good measure, we opted for a bowl of greens – tenderstem broccoli and snow peas served with chilli and lime.
Although we were incredibly full, we did try the Kala Khatta Gola ice for pudding.
The refreshing nature of ice flakes, with the sweetness of kokum syrup and blueberries and the savoury kick of chilli and salt was certainly interesting and the combination of flavour worked very well.
On the whole, the portions were generous – we even had leftovers for the next day – and the staff were very attentive and friendly.
I’m already looking forward to my next visit.
Next time, I think I’ll go for breakfast.
