‘Dishoom’ is a traditional Bollywood onomatopoeic word (like ‘Kapow!’) used to express the noise of someone getting punched or slapped in an old film or comic book.

In London, Dishoom Shoreditch is an eatery inspired by Mumbai cafe culture. It is easily identified by the queue outside its doors most evenings.

It gets points for its evocative, eccentric decor, attentive service and excellent array of food. The martinis aren’t the coldest I’ve ever had but I’m happy with their focus. Some of the menu items go beautifully with a classic martini (such as their delicious battered okra). As regards other cocktails or martini variations, maybe they could try out the Raitini or the Hot ‘n’ Dirty as well. They include Sri Lankan arrack in their repertoire so a Serendipitini might work as well. Otherwise I very much enjoyed their Arrack-basee cocktail (see below).

Recycled cardboard menus, vintage posters and some other quirky features made it an interesting experience to dine there. I would normally refuse to queue for half an hour to enter a restaurant but at Dishoom they serve you warm masala chai while you wait, which is a nice touch, especially in winter.

To serve my Arrack cocktail – the Toddy Tapper – the barman set fire to some alcohol and fennel seeds in a glass to release the flavour before adding them to my drink. This was visually impressive as you can see from the above photograph taken by my friend. It also gives me confidence that the Dishoom bar crew would be more than capable of handling the otherwise tricky Hot Martini. Of course, we also ordered a classic martini to try.

The food was amazingly tasty, the service good and fast (after the queueing at least) and the atmosphere was lively. I would definitely recommend giving it a try, but be sure to wear enough warm clothing to queue outside.