Authentic Bombay Cuisine in Central London / 正宗的印度孟买美食

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Dishoom is a restaurant name I had heard quite a lot of in the past. My friends have recommended it to me time and time again so I was over the moon when I finally got round to checking the place out for myself. It is a Bombay-themed Café located in the West End of Central London and has proved to be very popular indeed.

We went on a late Sunday afternoon and it was absolutely pouring with rain and pretty dark. Typical London weather, lol.

My friend and I arrived at Dishoom in St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden. The place seemed extremely busy and there was already a considerably long queue ahead of us. We were told the waiting time was going to be approximately one hour!

Normally I would have turned on my heels at this point as in London we are not exactly lacking in culinary options. It is usually just not worthy wasting time to queue for restaurants in these parts. However, because I simply had to check out for myself what all the fuss was about, I decided to wait. Also I was accompanied with friend’s, so hopefully the wait would not be too bad.

I have to say the staff at the restaurant were very helpful indeed in making the wait more bearable. They even provided umbrellas and kept on bringing us potential customers some glasses of hot Chai. It was a sweet milky tea with a hint of spicy flavouring. Very nice and perfect for the cold weather.

Given approximately 45 minutes of waiting we eventually got inside the restaurant and were led straight down to the bar area in the basement for some drinks. Shortly after that, they showed us to our table.

Upstairs has an open kitchen and is very busy. The area has a glistening black and white tiled floor with marble tabletops. Together with the vintage framed Bollywood-style pictures, it gave the whole place a very authentic atmosphere. The whole restaurant is done up in a quirky 50s/60s stylization I would say. The setting is akin to a traditional diner including separated booths. Quite a warm ambient feel from the very moment you walk in.

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At the bar, I ordered myself a Mango & Fennel Lassi which is a creamy, dreamy Indian classic drink. It was refreshing, sweet and delicious. A great start before the main meal.

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You are encouraged to order in the manner of a "table share". Not unlike a tapas style dinner and it actually worked really well. Our waiter was happy to guide us through the menu whilst we sipped our drinks. I would recommend for those who are new to Indian cuisine.

The menu at Dishoom is quite varied. More original than your standard Indian restaurant. A couple of signature dishes were marked out on the menu as the chef's special recommendations.

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My starter was the Lamb Samosas stuffed with a delicious savoury paste. The lamb and spices were cooked through really well creating that mouthwatering filling. Though it was just enough spice for me.

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House Black Daal is recognised as their top signature dish so we had to order that too. It was dark and rich as advertised however I found a distinct absence of flavour. Sorry to say I was a little disappointed with that dish.

The Cheese Naan has cheddar cheese melted on the inside and was a welcome change to its plain counterpart we normally get. Great job in offering something new and different, Dishoom.

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Chicken Ruby is the curry dish I always order in Indian restaurants. I was pleased to find chicken thighs being used in the dish instead of breast meat. The curry sauce was rich and went well with the steamed basmati rice.

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Lamb Biryani, cooked in the traditional way in a sealed pot. It was bursting with fresh, contrasting flavours of basmati rice and pretty intense flavour all round. The taste was great however a little dry for my liking.

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Though by far my favourite flavour of all has got to be the chef’s special, Prawn Moilee. They used the finest king prawns and cooked the food South Indian-style using lots of fresh ingredients and tempered with coconut milk. Simple but beautiful. I would come back here just for this dish alone.

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I also sampled the Dishoom India Pale Ale which is their new unique recipe. It was fruity and crisp. Really like it and again something I wouldn't hesitate to try again.

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The dessert menu had some interesting choices but I opted for the “Mango Kulfi on a Stick”. It was not disappointed whatsoever. This is the Indian version of ice-cream but much creamier and denser than regular ice cream. It proved the perfect dessert after a heavy meal and I absolutely loved it. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

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Overall, I would classify the food at Dishoom as modern authentic and overall being of good standard. However probably not the best Indian food I have ever tasted, truth be told. If you are looking for a restaurant with great service and a lively buzzing atmosphere in Central London, you will be guaranteed to have a great time there.

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Dishoom这个餐馆的名字我听过不止一次，也有朋友推荐过。基于好奇心，我决定自己去看一看。Dishoom位于伦敦市中心，是一家以印度孟买为主题的餐馆，非常受欢迎。

我是在周日下午去的，天气很阴沉并下着雨，很典型的伦敦气候，呵呵。

当我和朋友来到了Covent Garden的这家餐馆时，已经看到了外面长长的队伍。站在门外的侍应生告诉我们等候时间要大约一个小时！

通常情况下我会转身就走，因为在伦敦市中心根本不乏美食餐馆，所以不值得浪费时间。然而我们这次专程来品尝Dishoom，我们还是决定留下来排队。有朋友在旁聊天，应该不会太糟糕吧！

餐厅的工作人员还挺周到的，他们不但为在外排队的客人提供了雨伞，并不断为我们送来热茶。Chai是一种甜味奶茶，有点儿辣味，非常适合这种寒冷的气候。

等了约莫45分钟，我们终于如愿以偿地进入餐厅。餐馆的侍应生直接带我们到楼下的酒吧点饮品，再安排我们就坐。

餐馆有一个开放式的厨房，显得非常忙碌。大厅最引人注目的是黑白瓷砖地板和大理石材质的桌面，还有四周墙上复古的照片。整个餐馆的装饰是复古的五，六十年代，很有氛围！餐馆内的摆设也蛮传统的，包括红蓝的皮革座位等。从一进门，餐馆就给人一种挺温馨的感觉。

我在吧台点了印度的经典饮品，芒果拉西。它与一般的奶昔不同，更清淡并果香味很浓，味道棒极了！

印度食物其实与西班牙小吃(tapas)有点儿类似，大家点很多不同的菜肴然后每样都尝一些。侍应生很热情地为我们介绍菜单上的各式美食。菜式挺丰富的，比起普通的印度餐馆更有创意，特别有几款主厨推荐的招牌菜。

我的前菜是羊肉咖哩角，这是印度常见的点心，以薄面皮包裹着肉末，洋葱，马铃薯泥再配上香料，卷成三角形油炸。满口的辛香咖哩与浓厚的面粉香，真是令人无法抗拒的美食！

黑扁豆醬是他们的招牌菜，侍应生介绍这道菜是厨师以文火焖煮经过24小时而成的，配上烤饼吃，让人胃口大开。我个人感觉它的味道欠缺了一些，有点儿失望。

芝士奶酪饼不错，浓浓的芝士溶化在饼里让人闻了口水直流，呵呵。

鸡咖哩是我常点的印度菜，总吃不厌，呵呵。餐馆使用了大腿肉并不是鸡胸肉，肉质更嫩滑，配上浓浓的咖哩酱，香辣可口，味道超棒！

以传统印度方式烹调的羊肉焖饭，也是广受大家欢迎。它是把肉和米混合后加入各种香料，放置于沙煲中再进入焗炉烤制。这道菜味道香气还不错，就是饭太干了一点。

我个人最爱要数厨师特别推荐的香浓椰汁虾。精选的大虾个个鲜美爽口，奶香浓郁。很简单的一道菜，味道极其鲜美，就为了这道菜我也会再回来光顾这里，呵呵！

我还品尝了他们自家专制的啤酒，也不错。

我还选择了印度芒果冰棒作为甜点。它与我们通常吃的冰激凌不同，是由牛奶冰冻而成的甜点。奶味非常浓，一口咬下去，其实口感更像雪糕。在吃完丰盛的印度餐，吃上这个甜点，就最完美不过了！

总的来说，虽然Dishoom不是我吃过最好的印度菜，但这家餐馆的性价比还是蛮高的。如果你喜欢热闹的环境和热情的服务，在伦敦中心的这家餐馆会是不错的选择哦！