Dishoom in London’s Soho Serves Brunch Parsi Style
The restaurant is designed to evoke 1960s Bombay
Dishoom has traditional dishes on its breakfast menu (perhaps unfamiliar to non-Indians) on its breakfast menu, and these are a great choice for untraditional brunching. It’s the type of place that’s perfect to go to with a hangover, without the grease of the greasy spoon. The cooked breakfasts are the traditional egg-based favourites of Parsi bodybuilders to build up their physique. Keem per Eedu is one of those power breakfasts, designed to give you super strength. The dish includes spicy chicken keema studded with chicken liver topped with runny fried egg and sali crisp chips. There’s also house porridge, cooked with milk, bananas, and dates, with free refills in case that’s not a sturdy enough dish for you.
There’s a selection of bacon naan rolls too. Oh-so-tempting, but too familiar, so I plumped for kejriwal, two fried eggs on chilli toast, a favourite of the venerable-sounding colonial-era Bombay Willingdon Club. It has just the right amount of spice, waking me up even more than the strong creamy coffee that I ordered to kickstart the day (delicious, though I’d love also to try their authentic cardamom teas). My companion had the akuri, with spicy scrambled egg piled up against the traditional soft white pau buns and with grilled tomato. She looked rather uncertain as it arrives, but it was one of the most interesting and tasty scrambles I’ve tasted, a flavor-blast, though it had a dirty cream color from the spice.
After a meal like this, I’m set up for the day, and I’d definitely return on those mornings when Parsi comfort food will hit the spot or I want to imagine there’s sunshine outside.