dishoom, wc2

last weekend i had lunch with friends at dishoom. twice. i was there for both saturday and sunday lunch. this bombay café, as it styles itself, is great  - i really like the décor and casual buzzy atmosphere and the food is delicious.

the menu is set up so that you can mix and match, sharing dishes which arrive as and when they are ready.

on saturday my favourite dishes were the black daal (this has a wonderfully smoky, earthy flavour), the paneer and mushroom grill (beautifully flavoured and textured pieces of paneer) and the lamb samosas (served with lime to squeeze over them but particularly good with the complementary date chutney). the chilli cheese on toast (with green chillies and spring onions) was nice but i really didn't like the cheesy naan. in fact i was disappointed with the naan's both times as they were far too crispy.

on sunday, the kheema pau (a spicy lamb mince dish) and pau bhaji (spicy vegetable mash), both of which were served with buttery bread, were top of my list. the grilled masala prawns and spicy lamb chop grills were just okay for me, but others really enjoyed them.

the cocktails which are on offer all have indian flavours, as did the seasonal pudding  - mini mince pies with a chai and jaggery custard – which was utterly delicious.

this casual and welcoming restaurant on the edge of covent garden, is something different and well worth a visit if you are in the area. i’m looking forward to sharing it with more friends, as i think most people would enjoy it. bookings are only taken for groups of six or more; try and sit in a booth if you can.

dishoom

12 upper st. martin's lane london wc2h 9fb

t - 020 7420 9320