London has its fair share of open air markets. We sampled our way through Borough Market and Camden Lock, tasting homemade Toulouse sausage, ginger-grapefruit iced tea, piping hot churros filled with dulce de leche, and chunks of salted caramel fudge.
Our first morning in London we ventured out to Camden Town to have brunch at The Summerhouse along the Union Canal. Between the white-washed walls, blue pinstriped upholstery and warm breeze coming off the canal, the essence of summer vacations lives on here year-round.
Six years old, asleep in flannel pajamas, it was always the rapid successions of the sound “DISHOOM” which woke me up. I’d open my eyes to find my mom watching a Bollywood film. Dishoom is the sound of a punch making contact during a fight sequence in any Indian movie during from the 1980s. When Sara and I walked by the sign for DISHOOM in London, it immediately spoke to me in that primal part of my gut and brought a huge smile to my face. We decided we would have to go there for breakfast the next day.The restaurant is the pinnacle of creative execution in both ambiance and food – with strong connectivity to the lost times of comfort food across Mumbai – Dishoom calls itself “A Bombay Café” in the same vain of that tradition. The menu is full of Bombay classics, with a beautiful modern touch. Case in point – our breakfast: Bacon Naan (oh yes, naan with m’f’n bacon in it, along with a light yogurt and cilantro), Bombay Omelette (a fluffy omelette with tomatoes, onions and masala), paired with masala chai and coffee in classic Indian café glasses. The food was perfectly prepared, the naan was very fresh, the bacon was crispy, the portions were reasonable as were the prices.
The décor is a whole other conversation. Pure class. Mahogany wooden trim panels, accented by large mirrors. Beautifully arranged collages of Indian families (mostly the owner's family), and vintage advertisements. A seamless, graphic print on the floor. Small touches, too: an old Indian apothecary cabinet in the bathroom stalls, a lower-level dining room which feels like a underground club in 50's Bombay.
The visit touched our hearts, and made our creativity soar. Our time there concluded when I spoke with the owner, Shamil, and spent a little time trying to convince him to open up Dishoom in New York. We’ll see what happens next….. but in the meantime, he asked us to visit his other location in London's Southbank…. (see below)
At the front entrance there was a cutout board so we took a moment to pose as vintage 1960's Bollywood models... Further along there was a wooden ramp, painted to look weathered with pastel paints, and blue plastic streamers. Very Bollywood beach party. The party and creativity continued inside... There was a wall of rolled up vintage Indian newspapers, brightly colored bottles across the bar, hand woven canvas wallpaper, spray-painted chairs and old relics of “found items” lining the walls. The bathrooms were wall papered with plastic Indian mats and authentic vintage signs.
For food, we wanted to order the spiked coconuts (coconuts full of water and spiked with rum), but they were all out. So we opted for Limca and Thumbs Up, the classic Indian sodas. Since we had just eaten breakfast, we ordered a small appetizer – bread crumb calamari, which was perfectly seasoned and delivered to our table in a kraft paper cup with wooden forks. The space truly evokes the colors, and the feeling of Chowpatty Beach, but with a modern and fun twist. Truly a restaurant experience not to be missed in London.
