A review of Dishoom (breakfast)

I feel I should provide a disclaimer here that that the marketing manager at Dishoom is a very good friend of mine. I have eaten at both their Covent Garden and Shoreditch restaurants in her company but on the occasion I am going to reference here, was in neutral company. 

Disclaimer aside, I am probably still going to sound like she is whispering in my ear while I write this as I have no complaints to make at all about the service or food. I hope you will believe that what I write is an honest account:

7 Boundary Street, London, E2 7JE

London's very own Bombay Cafe, Dishoom opened the doors to its new Shoreditch premises in October. We went along for one of their dry runs for dinner and were suitably impressed with the decadent cocktails and fresh, fragrant dishes on offer. From grilled paneer tikka to their slow-cooked pulled lamb this is not your typical East End indian restaurant. 

So, on a cheeky Friday off work we thought we'd try something different and give Dishoom's breakfast a try. They serve the breakfast menu until 11.30 on weekdays and until 1pm for a more casual start at the weekend. 

We rocked up 20 minutes before the end of service and were greeted with a smile and a sun-filled booth at the front of the restaurant. Given how busy the cafes on nearby Redchurch Street get during the morning's breakfast meeting rush, it was surprisingly quiet. Perhaps the city boys haven't cottoned on to the delights of a bombay breakfast. It won't be long. 

I ordered English breakfast Assam tea which came loose leaf in a large pot with my choice of milk and sugar on the side. My fella ordered the chai which was absolutely delicious. It wouldn't usually be my first choice for breakfast but on a cold November morning, its delicate fusion of spices couldn't be more comforting. 

To eat, I had the Bombay Omelette which was subtly flavoured and beautifully light for that time in the morning. Balanced with grilled tomatoes and Dishoom's own variety of 'fire toast' (first buttered, then thrown onto the grill) it was perfectly proportioned and very reasonable at under 6 quid. 

Fella had the bacon naan roll which was quite small, but at £3.70 you could always have 2 if you're that hungry! The chilli tomato jam, smoky bacon and fresh cream cheese were brilliantly balanced to create a tongue tingling combination, and along with the chai was the star of the show. 

Reasonably priced, more tasty than your run of the mill eggs on toast and all in the stunning surroundings of Dishoom's new Shoreditch location, I felt extremely spoilt on a Friday morning. Happy happy girl. CHECK THEM OUT SOON!

You can take a look at Dishoom's website, follow them on Twitter and find them on Facebook. 

Recipe: Breakfast stack

My boyfriend and I came across this recipe for potato cakes with wilted spinach, smoked salmon and poached egg countless times when living in Melbourne. Since coming home we’ve created our own version which we eat for brunch on lazy Sunday mornings (alright, maybe not mornings, but you get the idea).

Ingredients (serves 2):

Two small potatoes
Knob of butter
Splash of olive oil
Plain flour for dusting
Two eggs
White vinegar
Fresh spinach
Salt & Pepper
Tomato chutney to serve

 Method:

1.       Put a large pan of water on the hob to boil. You can use this pan later to poach the eggs.

2.       Peel the potatoes and cut them into small chunks. Put them in the pan of water once it’s come to the boil and cook for 8 - 10 minutes.

3.       Drain the potatoes, add the knob of butter, salt and pepper, and mash thoroughly until they come together in the pan.

4.       Pre heat a large frying pan on a medium heat with a splash of oil (about a teaspoon).

5.       Divide the mash into two halves and form into a patty/burger shape with your (clean) hands.

6.       Dust the potato patties in the flour, this ensures a crispy crust to your potato cake.

7.       Put the dusted potato cakes into the pan and cook for approx 4-5 minutes each side. Be careful not to rip off the crispy outside when turning them halfway.

8.       Meanwhile, rinse the pan you used to cook the potatoes and fill with fresh boiling water. Return to the heat and bring to a gentle simmer with a steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom of the pan.  Begin your first poached egg at the point that you turn the potato cakes over.

9.       Add a glug of vinegar to the simmering water (approx 2 tablespoons), stir the water into a whirlpool and gently break the first egg into its centre. The eggs take 3-4 minutes each – it’s best to do them one at a time so that they don’t bump into each other in the water.

10.   Whilst the poached eggs are cooking, rest a colander over the pan to act as a steamer for your spinach. Add the spinach and leave over the simmering water until wilted.

11.   Remove your first poached egg after 4-5 minutes and repeat the process for the second .

12.   Layer up the potato cake, spinach, salmon and poached egg on plates. We like to put a cut into the egg so that it oozes down the stack, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with tomato chutney. You can also serve with hollandaise sauce or a wedge of lemon.

Photography by Gareth Reid - http://www.flickr.com/photos/garethreid/

A recipe for breakfast muffins

Carrot breakfast muffins

These breakfast muffins are really quick, easy, healthy and hearty. I’ve adapted the recipe over the last few years from one originally found in a magazine and discovered it copes really well with different fruit and vegetables, though carrot, berries and apple work best.

They’re great for breakfast in the week when you’re in a rush so I often whip up a batch over the weekend – why not give them a go!

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 18 cupcake size/ 12 muffin size

Oven temp: gas mark 6

Ingredients:

100g wholemeal self-raising flour
100g porridge oats
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
150ml vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil)
Zest and juice of 1 orange

3 medium eggs
200g soft brown sugar
200g fruit/veg

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to gas mark 6, put cupcake/muffin cases or baking paper into trays
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a bowl
3. Stir in the oats
4. Combine oil, orange juice and zest, eggs and sugar in a jug
5. Add wet mix to dry ingredients and mix until combined
6. Gently stir in the fruit or veg – do not over-mix
7. Spoon into the cases and bake for 15 minutes

Cream-cheese icing

This icing works really well on all sorts of fruit-based baked goods. Try it on these muffins, carrot cake or banana bread. I usually sprinkle some poppy seeds over the icing to give it that extra visual flourish.

Ingredients:

150g cream cheese
25g olive oil spread
25-50g icing sugar to taste
lemon juice

Method:

Combine ingredients in a bowl adding icing sugar and lemon juice to taste (add more sugar to combat the cheesiness and then more lemon to combat the sweetness). To get it to a good consistency for icing either leave in the fridge for a few hours or whisk the icing in a bowl over some iced water (an electric hand whisk works best for this).