Restaurant reviews
You might think that a smack isn’t quite what you want from an Indian restaurant
[ LONDON ]
MAKE A DASH FOR DISHOOM
BOLLYWOOD MOVIES have a term for the sound of a punch: ‘dishoom’. You might think that a smack isn’t quite what you want from an Indian restaurant, but this new venue between London’s Leicester Square and Covent Garden is certainly a slap in the face for the boring old curry houses.
What Dishoom has proved in a very short space of time is that it is possible to get freshly made food, served speedily, at reasonable prices (most mains around the £7 mark), with plenty of vegetarian options. What makes it fun is its theme: harking back to the old Bombay cafés originally set up by the Parsee community, the interior is decorated in a retro vibe, with photos of the owners’ grandparents, for instance, and vintage ad posters. Robina Dam
Dishoom, 12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2, www.dishoom.com
MEXICAN WAVES OF QUALITY
SLOWLY BUT STEADILY, MEXICAN FOOD IN LONDON has moved away from being synonymous with Tex-Mex. That’s no small thanks to the Wahaca chain – set up by Tomasina Miers, a winner of the Masterchef TV cooking contest. Although they have seasonal specials that change, there would be an uprising if they tried to ditch the churros with chocolate, the pork pibil or the fish tacos. After the original Covent Garden site came branches at Westfield London shopping centre and Canary Wharf; now its new Soho site, due to open its doors right at the end of October, is set to become its largest and most environmentally friendly yet. RD
Wahaca, 80 Wardour Street, W1, www.wahaca.co.uk
Top tables
THE INNOCENT SMOOTHIE BRAND started off as three lads from university who dropped corporate careers to get juicing. Now they’ve opened their first-ever pop-up restaurant in Shoreditch’s Tramshed, called the 5 for 5 Café. All meals will be a fiver and help with the five-a-day fruit and veg effort – and will be perfect for vegetarians. The menu will be overseen by pretty young TV chef Gizzi Erskine. Bookings are essential as it’s only around between 1 and 7 October. www.innocentdrinks.com/5for5
CHOC FULL
YOU BETTER LIKE CHOCOLATE. Everything on the menu at the Rabot Estate café in London’s Borough Market has it in, including the confit duck salad and the salmon sandwich. Rabot Estate also supplies the cacao for the Hotel du Chocolat chain (with branches in bmi destinations Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and Norwich). Rabot Estate, 2 Stoney Street, SE1, www.rabotestate.com
