It’s these thoughtful decor touches that combines both the heritage of an iconic Manchester building and the history of Bombay.

Delve a deeper into the building and it’s down another corridor which opens up into the main dining hall which is home to the restaurants beautiful wood and glass pavilion centrepiece.  This is the grand Old Derby Room which was previously used by the Freemason’s as a banqueting and ballroom, which is fitting as this is the perfect place for larger dining parties and feels a little more intimate due to its muted colour scheme and panelled walls.

Throughout the building, antiques and furniture sourced from thieves markets in Mumbai, such as the large wooden sign featuring a masonic symbol in the entrance, are complimented by original parquet floors, beautiful stained glass windows and a yellow tiled floor that is an exact replica of Mumbai’s Masonic Lodge.  It’s these thoughtful decor touches without being gimmicky, the fact that the bar is named after the law brought in with the Bombay Prohibition Act and the specially commissioned replicas of the Grand Masters that combines both the heritage of an iconic Manchester building and the history of the cafes of Bombay.

That’s the building covered, but what about the food?

I find that people can be quite decisive with their foodie opinions.A “yeah it’s alright” review is the kinda place you wouldn’t go out of your way to visit but would probably give it a go, but the real gems and the ones I’m going to make a special trip for are the ones that come with rave reviews from people who go back multiple times.There’s nothing better than sharing your foodie weekend plans across the desk and your colleague suddenly begins to give you a run down of the menu and everything you should definitely order.Y’know,eyes lit up and slightly salivating as they describe a starter that was one of “the best things they’ve ever eaten”.

British summer was officially over on the weekend I was due to visit Manchester’s relatively newcomer, Dishoom and with the dreary weather much more October than July, I was looking forward to some aromatic, flavour packed food in a cosy environment… and that’s exactly what I got.

Ordering was a pretty easy deal.After eyeing up the menu beforehand (standard procedure, right?) we already had our eye on one or two dishes and the rest we were happy to leave up to our servers recommendations. Who knows the menu better than someone who deals with it on the regular, eh?

A “come when it’s good and ready” affair, we started with the Chilli Chicken from the small plates menu:crispy garlic-ginger-soy-chilli-chicken with a definite kick that had me reaching for my water and a hefty raita dunk but was packed with flavour and not just spicy for the sake of it.Advised to order the ‘just greasy and gooey enough’ cheese nan, this served alongside the chilli chicken was the perfect combination.Next out was the Murgh Malai.Chicken thigh meat steeped overnight in garlic, ginger, coriander and a little cream, served slightly pink and tastes absolutely delicious.You’d be correct in thinking that after all that garlic, kissing was one thing off the menu

For the main event, and what an event, was the Nalli Nihari Biryani.  The ‘Manchester Special’ is available exclusively at the Manchester Dishoom (surprisingly) and is the typical norvern menu nod.What can be more norvern than a biryani pie and gravy…with a twist?Cos that’s what Dishoom is all about.

The Nalli Nihari Biryani is a classic lamb biryani topped with a golden puff pastry lid and served alongside Chicken Liver Raita and delicious Nihari Gravy. The result?A tender lamb shank where the meat practically falls off the bone into the rice and caramelised onion.I won’t lie to you, by the time we came to cracking open the pastry on that bad boy which comes recommended to share between at least two people, I’d already begun to hit the “too much dinner” danger zone and although between the two of us we had a pretty good go at it, there was no way we were finishing it all.

….And because I’m a creature of habit, a bowl of greens.I know, I know. I’m a big fan of greens and you can bet your ass that if broccoli is on a menu, I’m going to go outta my way to order it.Perhaps I should start an offshoot blog where I simply review the side greens around the Midlands and North West? 

Remember I mentioned being a little full?We all know that once faced with a dessert menu I would uhm and ahh before eventually having my arm twisted and placing an order in the name of research and I also went as far as branch into the boozy coffee territory and before I knew it, the Dishoom Chocolate Pudding with Kashmiri chilli ice cream and an espresso martini was present in front of me.Your standard chocolate pud really but the showstopper?The creamy delicious ice cream that on first taste was no different to any regular ice cream, until the taste buds kicked in and a delicate hit of chilli complimented the sweetness of the pud.  For the guy who ‘couldn’t possibly eat another mouthful’?  A delicious Pistachio Kulfi. Kulfi is a traditional Indian ice cream, but rather than being whipped like ice cream, the texture is much denser, creamer and luckily takes longer to melt that a Western ice cream.  Think of a Mini Milk for adults and you’re pretty much there. 

Looking around the room it became clear that dining at Dishoom is a social occasion which echos the original intentions of the cafes of Bombay. Courting couples, sweaty taxi drivers, students, artists and lawyers dined together and broke down barriers by bringing people together over food and drink.  If there was ever a restaurant I’d want to visit with a large group of friends (mainly so I could have dibs on just about everything on the menu) it would be here.