In dining rooms, well, everywhere, waiters can be heard telling stories of the origin of the dishes. Some will entail chef’s creative process, while others will present narratives that harken back to the authenticity of the dish. At any of the nine Dishoom dining rooms throughout the UK, the staff share similar stories behind the menu — like the tipple tale of the commander, his wife and her lover, told to guests who dare to order a three martini set, inspired by the scandal of Commander Nanavati from the late 1950s in Bombay. However, at each new Dishoom that arrives on the scene, the storytelling is ever more scrupulous.
Cousins and co-founders, Kavi and Shamil Thakrar, have built a restaurant group, rather a brand, rooted in imagination wherein each new location that opens starts with a fictional tale of a character at an Irani Cafe in Bombay, the basis behind their concept overall. These stories, that iterate throughout the development of upcoming locations, help inform the design and cyclically, the stories themselves are inspired by the surroundings.
Take for example, the newest location in the Dishoom portfolio located in London’s Canary Wharf. Known as a financial epicenter in the city, the restaurant’s guiding tale appropriately features Nauzer, a young boy in 1970s Bombay, whose desire to rise above the modest earnings of his family’s Irani cafe ultimately leads to his demise. The Dishoom ‘logo’ here is a bit more 70s, with its groovy typeface, much like the geometric chandeliers seen in the Kensington Dishoom which, suitably, is housed in an Art Deco style building.
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Words Gauri Sarin
Date 24-06-2023