Having been invited to sample the Christmas offering at Dishoom’s Permit Room in Brighton, we were intrigued. Christmas dinner, Indian style? Why not! Who knew Christmas could taste this good!
The Permit Room is nestled in a snug corner of Brighton’s Lanes, offering an array of intimate spaces. As we entered to a warm welcome, the DJ was ramping up his set, the place looked festive, and we were surprised to see just how popular it was on a weekday night. The restaurant is part of a larger group now covering the country celebrating the food of Bombay. Our table didn’t provide cheap Christmas crackers, but a pair of rather lovely crowns for us to don should the need arise, and we knew we were in for a treat.
The new festive menu is aimed at groups of four or more, and we were pleased to see that everyone has been considered with a creative range of vegetarian and vegan menus also on offer. We plumped for the ‘Festive Spread – non-veg’, which is priced at £39.50 per person.
We started with snack plates, designed to let the whole group tuck in and share. The Peanut Masala had a delightful mix of crunch and vibrancy from the lime juice running through it, and the Chakli, a new sensation for us, provided another crunch of spiced gram flour with an extremely smooth and tangy tomato chutney to dip into.
Next, a selection of three beautiful bowls arrived, containing our starters. A crispy spinach chat, a little like a tempura dish, had delicious yoghurt and chutney blended with the lightly fried leaves, whilst the substantial fish chapali were accompanied by a zesty and fresh green chutney and the fiery chilli chips were so morish. This generous selection set up the palette with a great variety of textures to enjoy and explore.
Known as ‘The Main Event‘, the Turkey Raan was unlike anything we’ve ever been served for Christmas. The slow-cooked turkey leg meat with a hint of cumin and the texture of a pulled meat dish, smothered in gravy laced with cinnamon, fell apart in our mouths. Anyone who tells you turkey is dry and dull has never eaten this before. Alongside well-cooked vegetables, this course included two stunning highlights of the meal. The cranberry and green chilli smoked naan bread was a revelation – a little like a peshwari naan filled with succulent fruits but also unmistakably Christmassy and oozing with flavour. There was also a side dish of chilli sprouts, retaining all their texture and dotted with sparkling pomegranate seeds. The selection also included Dishoom’s signature Black Daal and a very rich Chicken Ruby, so you could find new flavour combinations as you mixed and matched the various components.
The feast was rounded off by a proper bread and butter pudding with subtle flavours of mince pie to maintain the seasonal touch, with the promise that the pudding-walla would return to top you up with more. We didn’t need any – we had eaten our fill.
This is a fantastic opportunity to sample a range of delicious foods, some recognisably within the Christmas menu and others a complete surprise. The dishes married styles and ingredients perfectly, with a feeling of indulgence and plenty. The fusion of ideas and flavours was exciting and left us with a big problem. What on earth are we going to serve on the Big Day to top this!
The Permit Room is the perfect venue for a get-together of colleagues, friends or family, providing a lavish option that will impress your guests. The quantity of food was more than ample, and the friendliness of the service only boosted our experience.
This menu is available from now until Christmas, but sadly not on the day itself. We just need to find an excuse to go back and try it again!
