I'll start this post with a massive "Hurrah!" that with the arrival of Dishoom we can finally enjoy delicious Indian food in Edinburgh. Having opened four popular Bombay Irani-style cafés in London, they have now colonised Edinburgh with their mix of delicious food, cocktails, casual dining and retro interior. If you would like to try it for yourself, scroll down and subscribe to be in for a chance of winning breakfast at Dishoom.

Their menu: A mix of small plates, sharing plates, grills and curries, what they have in common is a fresh delicate balance of spice without the pools of bright orange grease which seems to be standard in some Indian restaurants. The food is all prepared in the open kitchen on the ground floor where you can watch the chefs at work on the tandoor and open grills.  Although they also have lots of wonderful lunch options and the permit room bar stays open into the wee small hours, for me, breakfast is where Dishoom comes into its own. It looks set to be our weekend morning hang out with friends where we will be stuffing ourselves with bacon naan sandwiches, keema and wonderfully spiced chilli and coriander omelettes all washed down with a Bloody Mary or the bottomless spiced Chai.

This is also a restaurant with a social conscience, so you don't need to feel bad about stuffing your belly. For every meal served, Dishoom donate a meal to feed a hungry child either in the UK or India through their partner charities Magic Breakfast and Akshaya Patra. So far they have donated over a million meals.

Drinks: as well as the wine list they serve a selection of wonderfully fresh juices, sherbets, lassi and cocktails. The bottomless chai at £2.5 is stonking value and wonderfully warming. Stronger spiced than the Masala Chai I would make at home, but a hit nonetheless. The Bloody Mary and Dhoble cocktails are also dangerously moreish.

Interior: the decor is a fashionable combination of vintage finds collected on trips to India including some rather covetable antique pressed glass lamps which add to the atmosphere and are displayed alongside old black and white portraits of the owners' family and 1950s Parsi theatre stars. While the restaurant was buzzing on both my visits, the acoustics mean that its not deafening and easy to carry on a conversation at the table and intimate booths as well as enjoy their eclectic mix of music. 

Service: was friendly and attentive, the staff are happy to explain the ingredients in each dish and recommend their favourites. It's definitely kid friendly during the day time and there's a lift if you have a push chair or mobility difficulties.

Good to know: there is also a large section of the menu available gluten or dairy free and several other dishes can be modified on request.

Go for the: breakfast and bottomless chai, stay for cocktails

DISHOOM EDINBURGH    

Where: www.dishoom.com     3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD    Tel: 01312 026 406    

When: Thursday to Friday: 8am to midnight    Saturday: 9am to midnight

Sunday: 9am to 11pm    The Permit Room bar: 5pm to 3am

This review is based on two visits to Dishoom, once as their guest and again as a paying customer because I really love bacon naan rolls. All opinions are however, my own. Have you been yet? Be sure to let me know in the comments below. 

If you want to try out Dishoom Edinburgh's menu for yourself, they have kindly provided the prizes for this giveaway.  I have two sets of vouchers each for 4 breakfast rolls (usually priced at £5.50 each) for lucky readers. All you have to do is subscribe to the blog using the form below and winners will be chosen at random. For an extra entry share this post on social media using the icons below. (click on the small zig zag next to the word share and options will magically appear)

Good luck!

Terms and conditions

1. The winners will be drawn at random after the closing date
2. Entries must be received by 5pm on 8 February 2017
3. The winners will be notified by email and vouchers delivered by post
4. The prize is a pair of vouchers each entitles you to a free breakfast sandwich at Dishoom, Edinburgh. There are 4 prizes available. No alternative prizes
5. Prize draw only open to UK residents aged 18 or over
6. Winners names available on request