Dishoom 2, Upper St Martin Lane (Leicester Sq.) - second visit

Jan-7th count around 15pp for naan, a main, a dessert and a drink.

Last post about Dishoom was a praise to the place. Second time is not different. I like that place. It's funny how so many bloggers recently wrote reviews about Dishoom. I almost feel bad I write a good review, like so many other bloggers (!). But hey, you cannot change someone: when food is good, I sit, enjoy and feast.

No need to praise the place again, read first post for that. In a word Dishoom is really a great place to go to with friends to enjoy great Indian food.

Service was still as good as first time and, for a change, I went undercover this time !

I had a "thums up". For novice, it's the Indian version of the Coke. The brand was bought by The Coca Cola Company in 1993. I would recommend to try.

Thums Up - Indian version of Coca Cola

I tried as well the sheekh kabak which was great, slightly dry but otherwise nice and flavored to perfection.

 Sheekh Kabak - explosion of flavours

Two general comments about Dishoom. The only disappointment is the quality of the meat (chicken AND lamb) is not the best. It's good but not excellent... but again for this price you cannot expect the moon. The good comment is they do know how to cook Indian food and they serve it in the rules of the art. That more than offsets the bad comment by the way. Go there, try their food, and enjoy.

I finished the dinner with a rose and cardamon lassi. That was very tasty. Now, if I am honest, salty lassis are supposed to be watery, not too thick, as opposed to sweet ones which are supposed to be very thick. This one was too watery for me, not thick enough. For this reason, I consider Dishoom a better place for salty lassis than sweet ones.

Photos to come.

Dishoom, Upper St Martin Lane (Leicester Sq.) - The first of many

Dec-16th £15pp (chicken tikka, naan, lassi, gola and coffee) 

I heard of Dishoom twice. First time was from a work Indian vegetarian collegue. And second from Time Out which spoke of it highly. I often walk about Leicester Sq. area on week end... I passed upon Dishoom yesterday and could not resist saying hello.

I did not expect a bad experience. Rightly so, the experience was very good at every level: atmosphere, service, food, and price. It's almost boring writing this review, as it seems this place manage to be spot on almost everything. There is very little to be criticized. Don't take the negative comments too badly if you never tried the place. My main advice is go there, the sooner the better.

First of all, the atmosphere is nice. Efforts has been placed on this. They also have a big terrace, so why not enjoy it in the summer?

The naan was freshly made. Also, the naan was very thin, not like many Indian places where it is thick heavy bread... Dishoom serves delicate food. Shame they took a bit of time to bring it so it was not VERY hot, just warmish. I would not hesitate telling them next time I go to make sure it comes very hot. They do have the special oven to cook it... So why not having the best possible experience when it is possible to?

Freshly made naan, very thin

Salty lassi was milky and not too thick: how it should be. They put cumin seeds on top of it... for a better experience. Too often places forget the cumin...

Chicken Tikka was very good (again!)... It comes with lemon, coriander and other spice to dispose of the way you most prefer... The guys in the kitchen cooked it in the rules of the art... I never taste a chicken tikka so flavored before. Maybe what I thought was chicken tikka was not... The spices are well right and touches you very softly and spot on. If I could make a tiny little bad comment on the chicken (to be perfectionist cause again it is probably the best I ever had in London) it would be the following: the chicken quality used could be a bit better... but again for £6.80, you cannot possibly expect the top high quality grain fed chicken can you? I found it a (tiny mini little bit) fatty... I hope this comment wont forbid you to try the whole Dishoom experience... cause that's a MUST GO in London. At the very least, try it once next time you think of an Indian.

Chicken tikka, well spiced, good balance.

It comes with coriander. 

I planned to stay half an hour as I had to finish something, but I felt good inside... so I decided to try a dessert. I had a gola. First time I tried that was in Hawaii (they call it shave ice there).  Now, gola and shave ice are the same thing, so I knew how it would taste - sort of... Still Dishoom managed to surprise me...
The ice snow they serve is chunky. Not surprisingly, they serve the two tastes pomegranate and passion. By doing so, they play a bit with your senses and feelings... Indeed, the ice spots could be pomegranate seeds or passion seeds... the metaphor is poetic... and tasty :)

Passion ice gola - the poetic surprise

All in all, you have to try this place.  So, some might say "ok then I can go in 2011"... Well, if you want my opinion, that's too late. Why? They even give you a 20% discount voucher if you go this year to use in Jan or Feb-2011.

Two last things. 1. I would not be surprised if they increase their prices. It seems very affordable for a restaurant of this quality in London. 2. I would not be surprised if more of those cafes opened soon hence the title of the review.

Gaylord, Mortimer St - The realm of Lamb

Dec-7th £30pp (including a 660ml Cobra per person and with a 25% off food TopTable offer)

This is my second time in Gaylord. I have to admit, I am not keen on the atmosphere, as I find it too plain vanilla, with no heart and no soul. It is very noisy place as well. Truth to be told, however, Gaylord is, an EXCELLENT place for Lamb. Notice how I wrote it with a capital L. Lamb is cooked with soul, love, tender and care. Slowly, for hours in big pots or casserole (for the saucy dishes). The tandoori lamb is very nice as well, tender and tasty.

Worth mentioning, Gaylord is a middle class Indian restaurant coming directly from India. The same owner has at least two restaurants like this one in India. One fo those is in Mumbai, second is in Delhi. Why is it that you cannot find the website of the Indian places on the internet? Why don't they even market it and mention it on the uk website? Well, Indian restaurants in India almost never have websites. It's worth mentioning though. So we will state it again. Gaylord IS a truly Indian restaurant imported directly from India to London, UK. It's an affordable place in India where you eat good typical Indian food, in a unpretentious way.

I have Lebanese roots. I have to admit during my first experience at Gaylord, their lamb texture (cooked in sauce) and softness reminded me of my childhood's mum's dishes: cooked for hours with love and care. Lamb is cooked so slowly and carefully that it melts in the mouth. Again, it's so soft, you reach an orgasm by eating it. Then, you talk to your friends/date, sip some beer, and take a mouthful again, between two jokes... and orgasm again. Twice in 2min?!? How is that possible? Don't believe me? Go there, order Lamb and see for yourself.

Shahi Gosht and yes, that was lovely. 

Chicken and lamb tandoori

My second experience at Gaylord, although still excellent, was not as great. I won't blame it on my date. It was just that the lamb was (VERY slightly) less tender. Again, the standard of lamb here is great. I would recommend this place. It's a buy. If you can get a TopTable offer, then do. Even better.

One bearish note, they served our food to the wrong table when we were there. That was not great. First time it happened to me in a restaurant. I did not comment on it. I could have, they apologized 20 times...
It wont stop me going again. Also, one of the waiter, unfortunately poured some water on my bag-pack at then end. It's worth mentioning, but these things can happen everywhere even at the Dorchester.

A vegetarian Indian lady I know recommended the black daal. It seems to be a house specialty. I went for it... The daal is very soft and tasty. With the right amount of spice. Get a beer and enjoy the journey.