Dishoom Loves. Issue VIII.

The sun is momentarily out again. Calendars are fast filling up. There’s many a thing to do and many a friend to meet. And if we may kindly add to the excitement and the plan-making, here’s our list of what we’re looking forward to in September. 

We’re securing our seats:—

At the Southbank Centre as tabla-player-extraordinaire and Mercury Prize winner Talvin Singh OBE – renowned for bringing together Indian and electronic music – brings his magic to the stage. And on this particular evening, Talvin will intertwine crescendos, staccatos and tempos in an improvised collaboration with two remarkable musicians (and multi-hyphenates) from London – Lucinda Chua and Coby Sey. 

We’re gathering our friends:—

To see a play about the man who murdered Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse was a journalist and nationalist, and the man who shot Gandhi in the chest, thrice. The Father and the Assassin is an ‘essential exploration of oppression and extremism’. Written by Anupama Chandrasekhar and directed by Indhu Rubasingham, it is showing at the National Theatre until 14th October. 

We’re spending every free minute:—

Reading through (and being transported by) the pages of author Hema Sukumar’s debut novel Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments. Set in the coastal city of Chennai its a story of Grand Life Apartments, its residents – soon-to-be retired dentist Kamala, 32-year-old engineer Revathi and heartbroken British-chef Jason – and the community. Oh, and there’s also delicious food involved, so don’t be reading on an empty stomach. 

We’re settling in on the couch:—

To watch Can Bollywood Survive? on BBC iPlayer Asian Network. Superstars, super locations, super outfits, super hits – Bollywood has had it all. But, in recent years the industry has been in crisis mode. Like a well-written script, there’s competition, change, scrutiny, fandom, nepotism and a reputation at stake. BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid goes behind the scenes to find answers to the question: can Bollywood survive?

Read the café stories

Suggested Reading

See the journal

The Dishoom Battersea Story

With each new café that we open, we write a story deeply rooted in Bombay history or culture. This story, known to us as the founding myth, informs all aspects of the restaurant’s design. We spend months researching the Bombay of the period and combing the city for the right furniture, both vintage and new. In a way, you walk across our thresholds into our stories.

Christmas in our cafés has arrived

Bedecked in their annual finery of baubles, tinsel and lights, our cafés are ready to receive you for your Christmas celebration. So too are our chefs, who have assembled a most excellent array of festive fare for your table.

We humbly invite you to the soft launch of our newest café

Our soft launch will run from 27th November to 2.30pm on 5th December. And to express our gratitude for being among our first guests, all food can be enjoyed at 50% off across breakfast, lunch and dinner – yes, really.

Our cherished chai

Stop by any Bombay tapri (street stall), café, or home, and you will likely find yourself with a gently steaming glass of chai in hand. Before the invention of chai, Bombayites drank kadha, an ayurvedic remedy for coughs and colds made of boiled water and spices like cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Eventually locals started adding tea leaves, milk, honey and sugar to their ‘kadha’. Chai was born.