Ever since the first Dishoom opened up in Covent Garden, it’s been synonymous with the famous queue, with hungry diners waiting up to an hour to get their hands on a salt-laced bacon naan or a steaming bowl of black daal. These days, there are seven London locations to choose from, meaning the queue’s often pretty minimal outside peak times. But even so, it’s not somewhere you’d necessarily pick for a speedy lunch – until the arrival of their brand new, bookable set menu, designed to lure in hungry office workers.
Traditionally, sloping off for lunch at Dishoom has been a bit of a spicy move, likely to throw your whole afternoon meeting schedule out of whack. Now, the eccentrically named ‘Lunch With Promptitude’ menu is designed for maximum dining efficiency, and is on offer anytime from noon to 5pm, Monday to Friday. There are two set menus to choose from, designed to be shared between a pair of diners. The ‘Swift Vitality’ option is priced at £16 per person, and offers a salad each (malai chicken or chilli broccoli), followed by two grills to share (with options including chicken tikka, gunpowder potatoes, makhmali paneer or sheekh kebab).
Or if you’re looking for a more hearty curry experience, then go for the £20 per person ‘Prompt Replenishment’ menu, which begins with samosas, then offers a choice of chicken tikka or paneer, accompanied by black daal and delicious, pomegranate seed-studded pulao rice.
Most tempting of all, though, is the bookability, which means you can secure a table for a speedy lunch business meeting – not that there’s anything to stop you from using the set menu deal for a shopping break, hot date, or illicit assignation.
The price is pretty keen compared to Dishoom’s regular menu, which will set diners back at least £35 per head, rising to £65 for one of its grand feasts. It’s a savvy move, designed to attract repeat business and keep the restaurant busy during often-quiet weekday slots. This set menu is part of a growing trend adopted by more and more London eateries as they navigate the current tough financial landscape. Set menus increase efficiency, as front-of-house staff spend less time talking customers through the offering, and they also minimise waste by limiting choice.
Savvy diners are already fans of the £28 three-course lunch at Manteca and the £20 two-course lunch at Camberwell Arms, as well as set price offerings at acclaimed spots such as Chishuru, the River Café, and Luca. Even in the thick of an ongoing cost of living crisis, it’s a pretty tempting prospect. So let that batch-cooked stew sit in the office fridge for one day longer and let yourself be tempted out of the office by the most delicious lunch of all: one you didn’t have to make yourself.
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