Now we are big fans of breakfast and brunch out so when the chance to head along to Dishoom Edinburgh to try out their much talked about breakfasts, we couldn’t really say no. We headed off into town and had a table booked for 10.30am. Now usually at this time places are only starting to get busy so we were a little shocked to find upstairs of Dishoom was a hive of activity. We weren’t quite prepared for the business but it fitted with the Bombay theme of the venue and also a busy place at 10.30am can only be a good sign right?
The breakfast menu is compact and caters for all tastes. It didn’t take Mr E long to decide that he was going to try The Big Bombay – a plate laden with abundant Akuri, char-striped smoked streaky bacon from Ramsay of Carluke, peppery Ayrshire pork sausages, masala baked beans, grilled field mushroom, grilled, tomato and buttered pau buns.
I on the other hand wasn’t quite sure what I fancied. It seemed the bacon naan roll – Ramsay of Carluke’s smoked streaky bacon is matured for two weeks and smoked overnight in the traditional fashion with graced with a little cream cheese, chilli tomato jam and fresh herbs was to be my dish of choice and also the fruit and yoghurt sounded very appealing – Fresh mango, grapes, strawberries, blueberries and honeydew melon, topped with creamy yoghurt infused with Keralan vanilla pod, and the London Honey Co’s excellent Oxfordshire Field Bean Honey. It took a little longer than I would have expected for someone to come and take our order but being on Mothering Sunday this could be forgiven.
While we waited we sipped on our fruit juices and wondered how long it would take for our food to arrive. We watched around as all sorts of wonderful smelling dishes were brought to the tables near us and before we knew it ours had arrived. This took us by surprise a little as we were prepared for a good 25-30 minute wait but it can’t have been more than 15 minutes which was impressive.
Mr E quickly tucked into his breakfast and was making very sounds of approval. The masala beans were pretty good and with that added kick it added an edge. The scrambled eggs (Akuri) were something we hadn’t tried before and whilst I wasn’t a fan, Mr E was impressed. Instead of toast, buttered Pau buns were served and added a sweetness to the dish. Mr E would definitely order the Big Bombay again as with the little bit of spiciness it added lots of flavours and another dimension to something which can be pretty ordinary.
Eating a naan for breakfast seems a little bizarre but once I had tucked in, I could tell why this was a best selling dish. The bread was fresh, the bacon crispy and with the added creme cheese and chili jam it stopped it becoming too dry and also added extra flavour. The only one thing I would fault is the amount of bacon in it, I would have expected another rasher or two. There is the option to add 3 rashers of bacon as a side but for £2.50 I think this is a little expensive. The fruit and yoghurt was refreshing and the honey yoghurt was delicious. All the fruit was fresh, with no frozen fruit any where to be seen. Definitely a good way to end the meal.
Overall we enjoyed our visit. The food was tasty and we can see why it has been a welcome addition to the food scene in Edinburgh for many. For us, the food was good but we like breakfast/brunch out to be a little bit more relaxing and a bit more laid back. There are few areas for improvement as the number of tables they have managed to get into the space means service can be a little slow and you are also extremely close to your fellow diners.
Dishoom Edinburgh | 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD | Tel: 0131 202 6406 |
Twitter: @Dishoom
Facebook: @dishoomedinburgh
Instagram: @Dishoom
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