The taste of a good punch

Winter + flu = missing a lot of fun things. And darn I missed the Danish Bombay musical before Christmas. But still in the mood for the Bollywood atmosphere I went to Dishoom. The name refers to the sound of a good punch in Bollywood film and it is also slang for mojo.

This first Bombay Café in London certainly has the mojo. The décor is in line with the urban style du jour – white tiles, modern furniture, open kitchen and the quirky Indian touch with old film posters and framed newspaper articles covering the walls. The food is tasty, spicy and fresh and it’s difficult to pace yourself when ordering all these scrumptious dishes that ranges from the house signature black daal to mango lassi. Persians coming to Indian founded the Bombay Cafés in Mumbai, so the menu is based on the traditional mix of these two countries cooking.

I tried to joggle all the small plates and bowls with my nine-month-old daughter on my lap. Naturally she tried to grab everything except the steamed rice ordered exclusively for her. My other lunch companion was luckily patient with my half sentences and constant interruptions – perhaps because she was so busy enjoying tender chicken Biryani, Naan bread and spicy lamb chops.

Actually we fitted right in and just added at bit of baby buzz to the already busy restaurant. It’s cosy, relaxed and the sort of place, where you would also like to hang out for breakfast or have a fun meal with a bunch of friends in the evening. A friend of mine recommended it after one of those nights, when long waiting in line turns into a magical evening and makes you a bit tipsy and high on life. Dishoom can certainly hit you with a great feeling.

And there is more to come. Check out Dishoom Chowpatty Beach Bar – a pop up beach bar on South Bank in the summer (opens 13th of May).

12 Upper St. Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9FB 
www.dishoom.com

Dixon's design paradise

Another great place worth visiting on a sunny day (as well as any other day) is Tom Dixon’s very cool kitchen and design studio. It’s right on the canal in Ladbroke Grove between Notting Hill and Kensal Rise and makes you think of the Otis Redding’s song Sitting on The Dock of the Bay. The restaurant The Dock Kitchen offers a new lunch menu every day and it’s inspired by season and the mood of the staff. The last part ought to add some surprises on the plates.
The front of the building is designed with huge windows creating a stunning effect, when the cool building reflects in the water.
While visiting you should check out the famous designers own design or Piet Hein Eek, Danish Made A Mano or Copenhagen Lab among others. If you are interested in design this is the place to go right now.
Should you find this too expensive or too design glam, you could follow the track of a local artist. When I visited him across the street from Dixon’s design temple, he took me to a local cafe just a few steps down the street and ordered jacket potatoes with baked beans and cheese.
That’s British style with a much more traditional touch than Tom Dixon.
You gotta love them both!

www.tomdixon.net
www.dockkitchen.co.uk

When pizzas became hot

It used to be an old night club with a bit of a reputation, now it is a hip hang out in Shoreditch. No wonder Pizza East has become so popular. The atmosphere is buzzing, the decor is super cool with brick walls, big windows, iron lamps, visible pizza oven and a huge bar in the middle.
I have eaten there twice in a week. First stop was a lunch where I went for seabass carpaccio with fennel seeds and a beet root salad. It was lovely, but my eyes kept following all the thin pizza that landed on the tables around me.
So naturally I had pizza when my good friend from Denmark treated me to a belated birthday dinner this Saturday.
Post SATC 2 film (big film, small story as we agreed) we were in need of something cheesy and salty. And the pizzas were light, tasty and everything we needed. The atmosphere was amazing and the staff was chatty, witty and observant - so when the waiter brought us a bottle in stead of just two glasses of wine (which we ordered), we decided to go for it. "Why not" - after all everything is happening in Shoreditch as we were told by a woman in the bar.

Pizza East
www.pizzaeast.com
56 Shoreditch High Street
London E1
020 7729 1888