Dishoom Carnaby
I was spending quite a while thinking of not trying to sound like a food blogger in this post. However, some people seem to think that I can’t, even if I tried. So here’s my attempt at a dual post. My attempt at sounding like what I’ve read in a “typical” post from Joe Bloggs in italic text. Normal text in normal text.
Countless times I have heard whispers that I should try Dishoom for Indian food. Otherwise, I wasn’t living. Clearly the masses agree as Dishoom has mushroomed to 4 branches. It also falls within the trendy category of only catering to walk-ins, so a bit of waiting at the bar is required to whet your appetite. Tricks like this just make me hangry.
London, with such a plethora of Indian eateries is spoilt for choice. A highly successful chain restaurant bringing food to the public, Dishoom has now grown to 4 branches and the queue at the door attests to that.
Lamb samosas. I do love samosas so when I saw them on the menu, I was hooked. Having fallen into dreams of happy nostalgia, I found the samosas sadly bland, lacking in crunch and altogether boring. Sadly disappointing.
The lamb samosas were crisp and well done, and the lime added a splash of colour.
Pau bhaji. A vegetable curry – this was one of the highlights of the meal. Who would’ve thought that mashed vegetables could taste so good? Not me, that’s for sure. I tend to avoid vegetables where possible like a little fish running from a heron. I admit to being a little bit disappointed when I scraped the bottom.
Infusing a fresh taste straight from India, the pau bhaji was well done.
House black daal. An enigmatic dish at first, the creamy sauce and beans pleasantly surprised. I do think that I might have overeaten, unfortunately.
The beans and curry complemented each other well creating a pleasant little dish.
Awadhi lamb briyani. Looked great, lacked taste. It tasted a bit like the rice had just been spooned over the lamb and then mixed together when it was all done. Disappointingly missing the creamy buttery taste I expect from briyani.
Well cooked, this briyani was very good. The interesting dish was bursting with flavours.
Chef’s Dishoom Carnaby special. This has to count as one of the strongest dishes of the meal. The lamb was creamy and the crunchy bits (I can’t figure out what these were, potato?) lent a delightful little pop to the affair. The naan was light and served as an ideal mopper for the left over sauce.
The main event, a savory lamb dish with lovely roti on the side. This dish was simply divine. The naan complemented the meat well .
Although there were one or two disappointing dishes, the highlights of the meal managed to more than balance things out. At a fair price, I would say it is worth a shot if you are in the area. It is next to Shotgun after all. Har har. I’m so clever. I do warn you though that the food is inconspicuously filling. If you are like me and want to try all the good sounding items, you may need a trolley to exit the premises. Although I must say that overall, I waddled my way out into the darkening gloom outside like a happy pregnant duck.
The food was good, the decor nice and the service efficient. A local gem.
I hope you enjoyed this change in style. If you did, once you stop smiling, reflect on the Herculean efforts I undertake to keep you entertained. Not that I don’t enjoy eating and writing of course. No no no, of course not.
A quiet eating 6.5/10.
Lunch (2 courses) was GBP 18 excluding service and drinks.
22 Kingly Street, Soho,
London W1B 5QB