Dishoom was the first place we went to once we checked into our hotel in London. It was only 9 AM, but after 22 hours of flight and another couple of hours of dragging our luggage through the airport before taking the train and taxi to the hotel, we were famished.
Dishoom is a set of restaurants (all with the same name in different locations) in London that serve mainly Indian food while paying homage to old Irani cafes of Bombay.
Dishoom reputation precedes it. I had seen its’ recipe book in a bookstore in Melbourne months earlier, read an article about it while researching London and finally, when I saw a post about it on IG days before my flight to London, I added it to my to-do list in London.
That morning, heavy on jet lag, we took bus no 76 to Shoreditch, walked past the back alley and went into Dishoom.
The first thing I noticed was the ambience. The beautiful decor with plenty of attention to detail and the natural lights enhancing the poised vibes.
The menu was so interesting that we weren’t sure what would be the best to order for the first-timer. Thankfully, the friendly waiter gave some recommendations along with “chocolate chai is a must!“.
A Parsi Food Feast in Dishoom
Fafa went with the well-loved Dishoom signature dish, the Bacon Naan Roll. It’s smoked streaky bacon, matured in the traditional Ayrshire way, served with naan and beans curry.
Meanwhile, I asked for Keema Per Eedu. Spicy chicken keema studded with delicate morsels of chicken liver, topped with two runny-yolked fried eggs and Sali crisp chips. Served with homemade buns, Dishoom calls it a Parsi power breakfast.
Even though I have read it plenty of times in Kalyan Karmakar‘s blog, Finely Chopped, it was my first introduction to Parsi cuisine. It turned out to be mind-blowingly delicious, especially after eating multiple shitty aeroplane meals.
Also, I don’t know who and how they thought about mixing chai and chocolate, but it was perfect ━ a beautifully balanced beverage ━ a must-try indeed.
The day before leaving London, we revisited Dishoom. This time, we sat on the verandah, decorated equally as beautiful as the indoor seating area. Again, I went for another Parsi dish. Parsi Omelette ━ a three-egg omelette of chopped tomato, onion, coriander, green chilli and a little cheese. Unfortunately, there was nothing special about the omelette It was just a spiced version of the regular omelette, but it didn’t hold the torch to the Indonesian-style omelette my Amma used to make back home. Meanwhile, Fafa thoroughly enjoyed the Keema Per Eedu he ordered this time.
Before leaving, we got some Dishoom brand souvenirs to memorize our good times there. In addition, we got a tea towel and our first-ever record album.
Thank you for the delicious memories, Dishoom and for introducing me to Parsi food.
Follow me on Instagram@KultureKween for more recent updates.
