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Dishoom. Even the word tastes good to say. The sshh followed by the long ooo and finished with a definitive m. Yes it's safe to say I have fallen quite hard for the Bombay restaurant, the new apple of my eye and the main reason why I cannot fully commit to my new vegetarian lifestyle. (I'm going with 'part-time vegetarian' - it has a better ring to it than 'vegetarian apart from the occasional Dishoom breakfast.')
Loose morals aside, the Dishoom breakfast is regularly mentioned in many 'London's best breakfasts' articles. I'm definitely not the first to have fallen for it. In fact everyone who I mentioned my visit to gave a knowing nod, either followed by a distant look as they recalled their own Dishoom love affair or a distant look as they tried to ignore the empty feeling of knowing they had not yet been. Maybe I just imagined that but I know that's how I would be feeling inside. So to aid the desolate and despaired who haven't been, I'm here to fill you in.
With four locations across the city, each of the Dishoom restaurants have decor unique from each other; all are inspired by the old Irani cafes of Bombay in the 60s. The stylish Carnaby restaurant is my favourite - warm oranges and purples, low lighting with bamboo blinds and patterned cushions that look ideal for lounging. I visited the Shoreditch location, the dark oaky cafe that is described as being from 1970's Bombay. We chose to sit in the Verandah. It had the warmth of inside but with floor to ceiling windows that let the light come spilling in over the comfy armchairs, book-filled shelves and tall leafy plants.
The breakfast menu has been something I was particularly excited to try as I have never gone to an Indian eatery for breakfast. Now that I have, it is the only way I want to enjoy breakfast ever again. Bombay omelettes served with fire-toast, Akuri - a spicy scrambled egg dish served with plump pau buns, unlimited portions of organic porridge with banana and sweet Medjool dates, chilli cheese toast and bun maska, an Irani staple that's enjoyed toasted hot and dipped into your chai (the house chai here is unlimited too).
The full Bombay breakfast was especially tempting, but I ended up going with what the menu is known for best. The bacon naan roll. Freshly baked naan filled with chilli tomato jam, a little cream cheese, fresh herbs and your filling of choice. It comes with two halves, so we each ordered a different one and switched a half, meaning I got to try one bacon and one bacon and egg. Both were equally amazing; I could have eaten another 3 and then gone and swam in the chilli tomato jam, it was divine. Even better was the masala beans, the perfect accompaniment to the bacon naan, especially if you're greedy like me and need something a little more filling. We finished the visit with a hot glass of chocolate chai and the strong desire to come back soon. I was even more impressed by the restaurant because of the price we paid. As somewhere that is so highly raved about, I was expecting it to be fairly expensive but it doesn't have to be. If you share a pot of tea and go for the bacon naan roll you can spend under £7 here, or if you're being particularly savvy you can fill up on the unlimited porridge and chai. Whatever you have, you won't be disappointed.
The breakfast menu has been something I was particularly excited to try as I have never gone to an Indian eatery for breakfast. Now that I have, it is the only way I want to enjoy breakfast ever again. Bombay omelettes served with fire-toast, Akuri - a spicy scrambled egg dish served with plump pau buns, unlimited portions of organic porridge with banana and sweet Medjool dates, chilli cheese toast and bun maska, an Irani staple that's enjoyed toasted hot and dipped into your chai (the house chai here is unlimited too).
The full Bombay breakfast was especially tempting, but I ended up going with what the menu is known for best. The bacon naan roll. Freshly baked naan filled with chilli tomato jam, a little cream cheese, fresh herbs and your filling of choice. It comes with two halves, so we each ordered a different one and switched a half, meaning I got to try one bacon and one bacon and egg. Both were equally amazing; I could have eaten another 3 and then gone and swam in the chilli tomato jam, it was divine. Even better was the masala beans, the perfect accompaniment to the bacon naan, especially if you're greedy like me and need something a little more filling. We finished the visit with a hot glass of chocolate chai and the strong desire to come back soon. I was even more impressed by the restaurant because of the price we paid. As somewhere that is so highly raved about, I was expecting it to be fairly expensive but it doesn't have to be. If you share a pot of tea and go for the bacon naan roll you can spend under £7 here, or if you're being particularly savvy you can fill up on the unlimited porridge and chai. Whatever you have, you won't be disappointed.
