I’m a bit late to the Dishoom party, their casual Indian food at high street prices has seen them grow to three sites in a short space of time. We thought we’d pop our Dishoom cherry in the newest one, based in Granary Square in King’s Cross (home to Grain Store and Caravan).
There was a lovely aroma of Indian food/incense in the air as we arrived, then to hear of an hour wait for a table. It was Sunday at 8pm – where do all these people come from?! Set over four floors, the word humungous would be an understatement; it was of Bubba Gump proportions – and then some – but it really was beautiful.
We started with some lamb samosas (£4.20) which weren’t rubbish but weren’t particularly wonderful either; they lacked flavour. The same could also be said for the chilli cheese toast (£3.20) which was a bit of a damp squib if you were looking for some punchy spicing.
The Dishoom calamari (£5.50) was better as they were covered in a moreishly sweet honey glaze, which although making the coating a bit soggy, was seriously tasty.
The mains came out at the same time and it was a really tasty selection of grub. The spicy lamb chops (£11.90) were slightly over cooked for me but the meat was so incredibly tender it almost didn’t matter. They had a thick black coal-like coating which was great but they weren’t spicy in the slightest. The chicken curry (£8.20) was rich and buttery with huge chunks of moist chicken bobbing around.
The paneer tikka (£7.20) which is a type of Indian cheese was bouncy and squeaky – just how I like it. A bowl of kachi lamb biryani (£9.50) was a generous portion for the dollar as it featured great big chunks of lamb (that were a little bit dry) which had a terrific flavour. Best of all was the garlic naan (£2.20) which were a perfect tool for mopping up the chicken curry.
I really enjoyed Dishoom – it’s a smart and smooth operation they’ve got going there. If I ever fancy a curry in future I’d definitely choose that over my local. And if it’s packed at 8pm on a Sunday in the middle of a deserted square in King’s Cross, they must be doing something right
8/10
