Breakfast at Dishoom - Hidden Edinburgth

From the minute Dishoom opened their latest UK restaurant in Edinburgh at the tail end of 2016 it has become the place in Edinburgh to go for curry with the restaurant packed out most nights of the week.

But why stop at something spicy for dinner when you can have it for breakfast too! Well that’s my motto and I like spicy food so we went along to find out more about their breakfast menu at their beautiful restaurant and bar located in the heart of the city at St Andrew Square.

Concept

Dishoom has been a staple in the food and drinks scene in London for many years now with restaurants in the trendiest parts of the city. So it is with great excitement that the brand has come to Scotland. Playing homage to the Irani cafes of Bombay that had their boom era during the 1960’s when Bombay had almost 400 of them, the restaurant is a loving recreation of one of these cafes that have now all but disappeared in Mumbai (Bombay)

Dishoom Edinburgh is housed in a stunning 1920’s Grade A listed building, which was originally a warehouse for Forsyth’s departments store. The open plan kitchen is in the ground floor, the basement is an amazing bar that is open daily late into the night. The bar is a real hidden gem in the city, I recommend you go before everyone finds out.

On the upper floor is the restaurant which oozes atmosphere; from the many items of furniture direct from Mumbai through to the incense burning away in the corner filling the room with a wonderful smell. I can guarantee you that you will forget you are in Edinburgh for a moment.

The Menu

The menu is a fusion of east and west – with our British favourites of bacon, sausages, bean and eggs firmly on the menu but given an injection of Indian style.

If you are after something hearty you can ope for one of their larger cooked breakfasts – The Big Bombay is a take on the full English with bacon, sausages, masala beans, mushroom and grilled tomato.

However if that sounds a bit too British go for one of their smaller cooked breakfasts. For me it was a toss-up between the Bombay Omelette or the Kefrwal. After much deliberation and some steering from the staff, I opted for the Kejriwal which was really beautiful. Two fried eggs on chilli cheese toast. I wasn’t sure how spicy the food would be (I can handle my spice, in fact I like it to blow my face off) but for those who like it more subtle, the chilli just enhanced the flavour rather than being the main flavour.

If you are looking for something light they have porridge, fruits and yogurt and granola on the menu too.

When you goto Dishoom I would recommend you share your food – go half and half which is what we did as you don’t want to miss the opportunity to try out a naan roll.

The naan’s are cooked to order, wonderfully light and fresh, folded over and filled with either bacon, egg or bacon and egg sausage. They are simple but incredibly delicious, a wonderful comfort meal to start the day off on.

When I visited India a number of years ago, I accidentally had a chai tea one day and was so impressed by it I ended up drinking multiple cups per day. So when I eyed the unlimited chai tea on the Dishoom menu I knew I had to order that. Chai in most places I have had is not a patch on the real tea as it is simply a teabag in water, but Dishoom have Chai tea perfected – wonderfully rich and aromatic, milky with just the right amount of sweetness and the best thing is when your glass starts to run out, it is refilled!

Finances and Details

Breakfast is served from 8am to 11.45am on weekdays and from 9am to 11.45am on weekends and reservations are not taken at Dishoom unless it is for over 6 people. It’s a great place to start the day off and if you can get a table at the front you have one of the best views in the city to look at – So what are you waiting for!

Address: 3 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD
Phone: 0131 202 6406
Web: www.dishoom.com/edinburgh/