Dishoom headed in a new direction with its fifth restaurant.
It’s known as West London.
Dishoom Kensington is inspired by the golden age of Indian jazz and art deco, styled after 1940’s Bombay. So it’s appropriate that they’ve holed up in the very art deco Barkers Building just off Kensington High Street, with seats for 200, and a further 50 in their cocktail den, the Permit Room.
It’s a far grander affair than the back-street café vibe of the earlier Dishoom restaurants in London. Parquet floors and softly muted wall colours are illuminated by stunning art deco chandeliers – but there’s still the characteristic smattering of vintage, post-Independence era bric-a-brac around the space, from vintage posters to table fans and radios. And on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, as the week winds down, talented house band The Marine Liners take to the mezzanine stage to serenade you with live jazz, making it easily one of our favourite restaurants where you can dine with live music.
Helen Cathcart
As for the food; it’s at the same great standard that elicits queues round the block at their other branches – from Dishoom’s famous breakfast bacon naan rolls through to the pau bhaji bun, masala prawns, and gunpowder potatoes. Every restaurant has its own signature dish, and here it’s the indulgent Nalli Nihari Biryani, a hearty concoction of tender lamb shank and caramelised onion biryani beneath a blanket of pastry.
Fully satisfied, as you make to leave, it’s very possible you’ll get sidetracked by the Permit Room bar, where exceptional cocktails like Edwina’s Affair (gin & cardamom, scattered with rose petals) and the gloriously smooth Colaba Colada join their signature fruit sharbats.
After all, even jazz has its standards.
NOTE: Dishoom Kensington is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all week long. For more information, or to make a reservation for either breakfast or lunch (they only do reservations for dinner of 6+), visit their website here.
Dishoom Kensington | 4 Derry Street, W8 5HR
Like dining out? Check out these other excellent restaurants in Kensington