I've made it an unofficial resolution to try every dish at Dishoom this year. I don't think it will be too difficult with a few group visits. Admittedly I'm not that big on their breakfasts so would be content just with the main menu.
The trio of dips - coriander, tamarind, red chilli - are always good accompaniments. I vary between my favourite being the coriander or red chilli but that's not so important.
1st visit
- Okra fries (fine lady’s fingers for the fingers) £4.5 - okra fries with a crisp spicy coating. Not bad at all;
- Jackfruit biryani (delicious, savoury jackfruit and delicately saffron’d rice, potted and cooked with mint, coriander and sultanas) £9.5 - savoury not sweet jackfruit (akin to the vegan places using this as pulled pork) inside a drier (ie. not soaked in ghee) rice base. The flavours are lighter than the heavy biryanis at other places (and may or may not be sometimes preferred). It's a good accompaniment rather than a big standout eatalone dish in my mind;
- Lamb boti kabab (pieces of tender lamb marinated with red chilli, garlic and ginger. A top-notch Bademiya-style classic) £10.2 - decided to try this instead of the lamb chops and it was a mistake. Expensive for the amount of lamb in the dish and it wasn't overly tender either with relatively dense meat. It wasn't overly chewy to be fair, but just ordinary;
- Roomali roti (soft handkerchief-thin bread, thrown, stretched and griddled to order on an upturned tawa) £2.90 - a change from the firmer crisp naan with a softer more delicate bread. Very nice.
2nd visit
- Prawn koliwada (Bombay’s Koli fishermen Wada district recipe: a bowl of delicate, crispy morsels with tamarind and date chutney) £6.5 - small prawns fried up simply and needing the sauces to add more punch to it;
- Dishoom calamari (tiny tender squid, grainy crumb crunch, quick-fried and tossed into a bowl with Dishoom drizzle) £6.2 - small bits of calamari fried up with some spices. Simple but not overly special;
- Spicy lamb chops (they lie overnight in a special marinade of lime juice and jaggery, warm dark spices, ginger and garlic. Blackened by the grill, but juicy inside) £12.9 - 3 fat chops cooked to tender perfection with excellent flavoured crust. Expensive but outstanding;
- Murgh Malai (chicken thigh meat is steeped overnight in garlic, ginger, coriander stems and a little cream. Still slightly pink when fully cooked) £8.50 - this extremely heavily flavoured/salted dish was one I remember from the now-discontinued pomegranate and slaw salad. I suppose with the salad, the flavour is balanced out really well, whereas on its own it may be too heavy on the seasoning. The pomelo version isn't as good as pomegranate, but I'd have to order it again to add it to this post;
- Mahi tikka (in Bombay, mahi can be any fish, but this is sustainable Asian basa fillet in a subtle yoghurty marinade) £8.70 - it seemed minimally flavoured to me. I was told perhaps it was because I ate it after the other dishes like the murgh malai. In any case not something I would get again;
- Nalli Nihari (a robust lamb-on-the-bone stew with generous spice, for strength and protection against faintness of heart. First relished by Nawabs who then employed its fortifying properties to fuel their labourers. Served with sesame-onion-seed naan. Add Bheja (lamb brain) for more taste and more power) £21.9 - the special of the King's Cross chef is this expensive dish comprising of a lamb shank in a quite standard curry sauce (it grows on me) but served with soft fried lamb brains that are less creamy than I'm used it but retain some of that firm gelatinous texture to it. There's also some herbs and fried onions. Each element is nice on its own, but combined on naan are an incredible combination. I didn't like the sesame on the naan so much though;
- House black daal (A Dishoom signature dish - dark, rich, deeply flavoured. It is cooked over 24 hours for extra harmony) £6.2 - warm smooth and earthy. It's a nice dish, albeit not near the level of Bukhara (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/bukhara-delhi-01-2015);
- Plain naan (freshly baked in the tandoor) £2.9 - nice and simple. Although for the price, the garlic naan or roomati roti is better I think;
- Garlic naan (with minced garlic and coriander sprinkle) £3.2 - an upgraded version with a reasonably strong garlic element.
I await the next visit!
Current list for the ultimate Dishoom meal
- Spicy lamb chops
- Nalli Nihari with lamb brain and ask to replace the sesame roti with garlic
- Jackfruit biryani
- Garlic naan and roomali roti