Review: Dishoom Edinburgh
Dishoom is something of a London legend, having opened their first restaurant in Covent Garden in 2010. They are one of my favourite places to dine in the city, and now have 5 separate branches scattered around the capital with additions in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Famed for their delicious food, their London offerings (pre-covid) would often have queues of an hour or longer just to snag a seat in one of their restaurants. Maybe one good thing to come out of the pandemic is that they now take bookings! I was delighted when they opened their Edinburgh branch, and during my last visit we were able to walk right in for a table for two.
All of their food is delicious but I would highly recommend visiting for their unrivalled breakfast menu. This time I opted for the akuri, which is made up of spiced scrambled eggs with brioche buns and grilled tomato, but I would also highly recommend trying their famous breakfast naans, washed down with a glass of hot chocolate chai. Breakfast is served daily up until 11:45, and the rest of their menu from then on is equally brilliant. You can choose from a wide range of different Bombay inspired dishes, from curries and biriyani to a range of scrumptious small plates. Some of my personal favourites include the jackfruit biriani and gunpowder potatoes.
One thing that I really love about Dishoom, apart from the great food, is the amount of thought that they put into the dining experience. Their restaurants are always immaculate, and their staff are attentive and efficient. Visiting always feels truly immersive, and each of their restaurants is highly conceptual and based around a different theme, for example, the Edinburgh branch has been inspired by Patrick Geddes, a Scottish botanist who was born in the 1800s and founded the department of Sociology & Civics at Bombay University. They also do a lot of charity work, and to date have donated more than 10 million meals to their partner charities, Magic Breakfast in the UK and The Akshaya Patra Foundation in India, which I think is really awesome.
Dishoom is one of my absolute favourite restaurants – a place where I’ve never had a bad meal, and have shared many great conversations with friends over delicious food. If you’re in Edinburgh (or indeed, London, Birmingham or Manchester), and enjoy spicy food, then you must pop in and give it a try for yourself. I guarantee you’ll come back time and time again!