For me, 5,000 miles away, the influence was more complicated: I read it with a mounting despair and jealousy that London had nothing like this, that there were barely five dishes on the list I could find in New Malden.
There’s a moral imperative there: Angelenos should know these dishes, they should know their city and they should know who it is that makes its food culture unique. The ‘should know’ part of the title was crucial – Gold positions Koreatown as the absolute geographical centre of the city, and Korean food as its spiritual locus. When talking to Matt Rodbard, the co-editor of Taste, recently, he mentioned how formative the list was during his research for the Koreatown book he co-authored with Deuki Hong. Reading Gold’s culinary cartography left a huge impression on me five years after its publication, like I know it did for many people who read it contemporaneously.
What Gold wrote instead was extraordinary – a 12,000-word tour de force of food and city writing that, yes, took in kimbap and bulgogi, but also restaurants specialising in deadly blowfish stews, Xinjiang restaurants that cater solely towards Koreans, food from the Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, the traditional food of 1960s Seoul that has been preserved in aspic in another city and modern fast food atrocities like the Grand Prix pizza, something so large that “it threatens to dent the space-time continuum”. The present was called ‘60 Korean Dishes Every Angeleno Should Know’ and by rights should have been a clickbait list of dishes designed to provoke controversy for about a week before the next critic came in. The lovely blend of spicy and sweet is one so unforgettable.ĭishoom also has a charming bar where the bartenders whip up some of the sexiest cocktails.In 2012, just before he left LA Weekly to jump ship to the Los Angeles Times, the restaurant critic Jonathan Gold bequeathed the city of Los Angeles a present disguised as a listicle. One really interesting drink to try is the Chocolate Chai (£2.90). You have to eat all these with the Cheese Naan (£3.20).
We love how every fresh, juicy prawn is slightly charred on the surface for a little textural crunch. And we always return to the Masala Prawns (£11.20). Of course you have to try the Dishoom Chicken Tikka (£7.90) the marinate is a family recipe. From small plates to share to salads, biryanis to grills, the idea is to order several dishes and dine communal style so that everyone can share and try a bit of everything. Over on the all-day menu (available after 11:45am), you can find almost every North Indian classic. The Kejriwal (£5.50) is essentially chilli cheese toast and is another must-try from the breakfast menu. It is flavourful in every bite, with a subtle contrast of East and West. The Bacon & Egg Roll Naan (£6.90) – smoked streaky bacon with two fried free-range eggs wrapped in a freshly baked naan accompanied by a little cream cheese, chilli tomato jam and fresh herbs - is one of the best things you can eat for breakfast in London. You would see businessmen, locals and travelers all waiting for tables for a wonderful breakfast.Īnd you may wonder why. That’s because it is affordable and so very yummy. Their menus differ during different times of the day, and while we love the classic lunch/ dinner menu, the breakfast is totally worth waking up for.Īt 8am every day, queues will start forming at Dishoom (particularly the Carnarby outlet). And we are telling you go queue anyway, because hell yeah, a meal there is better than ten other Indian meals elsewhere. Queues are part of the restaurants’ characteristics, and during peak hours, be prepared to wait up to an hour for a table. While there are many other great Indian restaurants in London, Dishoom is the one you should visit if you only have time for one. Sexy and charming, Dishoom should be on everyone’s bucket list when visiting London.
It is no secret that Dishoom is our favourite Indian restaurant in London.