Dishoom

At Babu House this week, the glow of diyas mixed with the hum of conversation as our community gathered for a very special Diwali celebration. Dinner was served by volunteers from the Ramadan Tent Project in a beautiful continuation of our earlier Iftar partnership, when Hindu volunteers joined to serve during an Open Iftar. What began as an act of service has grown into a friendship rooted in generosity and mutual respect. Our founder Shamil Thakrar and Omer Samdani from the Ramadan Tent Project shared a few heartfelt words about the spirit behind this collaboration, about kindness that crosses boundaries and the joy of coming together as one community. It was a reminder of how sharing food and stories can gently break down barriers and bring people closer together. As guests chatted, shared stories and enjoyed the food, the evening became a reminder of what we hold dear at Dishoom: warmth, connection and the simple power of sitting down together over delicious food.

“Fifteen years and fifteen restaurants, and I feel it deep in my bones. Not just the years, but the distance. I think we’ve done a lot, none of it easy. Perhaps this milestone should be a glossy champagne moment, but for me, it feels like a hard-won smile of grateful acknowledgement for the journey and those who have made it with us. We all have bruises, marks, grit under our fingernails from challenges faced and numberless mistakes made (some even more humbling than others). And yet, Dishoom – this world we’ve tried to build, rooted in Bombay – has grown.” - Shamil Thakrar Fifteen years on, what we feel most is gratitude. Gratitude for the incredible Dishoom-wallas who have given so much of themselves to this journey, and gratitude for the many guests and friends who have supported us along the way. Here’s the full reflection on these fifteen years: https://lnkd.in/eMPWcaaW

Permit Room is excited to be partnering with Werksy! That means freelancers, deadline-chasers and hot-deskers can now find us on the Werksy app and co-work from our Permit Rooms on most weekdays. Kick back in light, bright surrounds with good art, nice tunes and all your fave food and drink – for total work-contentment. Small four-legged pals welcome, too. Swing by: Monday – Thursday, 9am–5pm in Brighton and Cambridge Monday – Wednesday, 9am–4pm in Portobello, London Let the team know you’ve come to co-work and they’ll set you up. Top-tip: Scan in on the Werksy app for free bottomless chai while you’re with us. Come by for some free chai and fast wifi ☕️

📣 Calling all Freelance Social Media Content Creators and Videographers! Dishoom is growing their freelance social media content creative network and are on the lookout for brilliant people to work alongside. If you’re passionate about creating engaging, standout social content and have a passion for food we'd love to connect! Share with your friends or tag someone who should see this. Let’s chat! ✨

This week, during the holy month of Ramadan, we had the pleasure of inviting our team members to a special team Iftar. We welcomed everyone across Dishoom to join us in fasting for the day and come together in the evening to break their fast. The beautiful call to prayer, led by the esteemed Imam Hassen Rasool, marked the moment for Iftar, a truly moving experience. Sharing a meal lovingly prepared by our talented chefs made the evening even more special. This annual tradition is a cherished part of our Ramadan celebrations, and we’re truly grateful for the opportunity to gather, connect, and learn from one another during these meaningful moments.

Earlier this week, we swapped chai for shovels and headed to Silsoe for our annual tree-planting trip. 1,952 trees were planted, one for every Dishoom-walla. It was a brilliant way to give back, breathe some fresh air, and spend time with each other doing something truly meaningful. Thank you to everyone who took part and to our friends at the Forest of Marston Vale for help making it happen. 🌳

As we step gently into 2025 and embrace the year ahead, we're taking a moment to reflect on our journey through 2024. Dishoom co-founder, Shamil, shares his thoughts here…

We’re so proud to share that Dishoom has been honoured with a Princess Royal Training Award! This recognition celebrates our ‘Welcome Walla’ onboarding programme, which was created to help every new team member receive the best possible start at Dishoom. It’s also a reflection of the dedication, creativity, and hard work of our amazing team. Thanks to their efforts, they have helped to create a place where our team feels supported, inspired, and empowered to deliver the best possible experience for our guests - and help make Dishoom a truly a special place to be. Princess Royal Training Awards

🏆 Dishoom Masterchef 2024 – What a Final! 🏆 Last week, we hosted the highly anticipated Dishoom Masterchef Final, and we are beyond excited to announce the winner: Chef Vikas Gusain, from our Manchester café! 👏🏽 He truly wowed us with his incredible dishes: Pistachio & Fennel Lamb Chops and Fennel Crust Sea Bass with Corn Jasmine Pulao. A huge congratulations to our 1st Runner Up, Chef SRIMAN GOLLA, from Canary Wharf, who impressed with his Gongura Lamb with Corn Vada and his mouth-watering Putharakulu dessert. And our 2nd Runner Up, Wentzel Annandale, General Manager from Kings Cross, who brought a taste of South Africa to the competition with Pap & Wors with Homemade Sausage and his creative Chai Tart with Fennel Sauce. A massive thank you to everyone who participated – your passion and creativity truly made this event unforgettable! 💥 We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our brilliant panel of judges: Chef Sameer Bhatkar, Chef Rishi Anand, and our special guest judges from The Menu Partners, Ian Humphryes and Connor Jackaman. Your expertise made this competition so special! Special shoutout to The Menu Partners for welcoming us into their fantastic kitchen and providing the high-quality ingredients that helped bring these dishes to life. 🧑🏽🍳 And finally, a huge thank you to the incredible Dishoom team – Tyler Rose, Sameer Bhatkar, and Gaurav Surve – for arranging such a seamless event from start to finish. 🙏🏽 It’s moments like these that remind us how truly special our Dishoom family is. ❤️   

Yesterday, we kicked off our annual Dishoom MasterChef competition, a beloved tradition where our team members get the exciting chance to showcase their culinary talents in our own version of MasterChef! ✨ This year, 20 talented people were selected from recipe submissions to compete, and this week has been all about the semi-finals. Each participant prepared their signature dish along with a surprise recipe to impress our very own Chef Rishi Anand, who’s judging the competition. Next week, we’ll dive into the finals to see who takes the crown! Can’t wait to see the creativity, passion, and flavours our incredible team brings to the table.