BOMBAY, MARCH 1923. Botanist, ecologist, and all-round man of the people Patrick Geddes reclines on a long-armed rattan chair. An unruly mop of hair sits atop his wide forehead, which is etched with many lines. We find him in the J.N. Petit reading room, in that second of clean consciousness that comes with waking. The muffled din of the street and the gentle whir of ceiling fans fill the quiet room.
He blinks as he remembers his surroundings. He observes the marble-topped tables lined with visitors as varied as the dusty books housed there: students, curious readers, elderly men poring over periodicals in English, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati, while a handful of others are quietly nodding off. Everyday people all sitting, working and sleeping, cheek by jowl.
BEGIN YOUR DAY AT DISHOOM with breakfast, which might be a Bacon Naan Roll, a Kejriwal or a Big Bombay. Then lunch lightly on Roomali Rolls and Salad Plates, or linger with a feast. Refresh your afternoon with a drop of Chai and a small plate or two. Dine early or dine late. Or just join us for a tipple – perhaps an India Gimlet, a Permit Room Old-fashioned, or our very good Dishoom IPA?
Good drinkers of Edinburgh, we warmly invite you to step inside The Permit Room – a space dedicated to the most delicious and sincere tipples, great music and good cheer.
Its name recalls the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949, which states that all tipplers are required to have a permit to consume alcohol (if only ‘for preservation and maintenance of one’s health’).
Hidden beneath the kitchen of Dishoom Edinburgh, herein we combine the illicit undertones of a Permit Room with the best Bombay tradition of Parsi theatre. Break a leg, enjoy a Parsi Peg! See the menu.
Dishoom Edinburgh
3a St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2BD
Tel: 0131 2026 406