Café
The Permit Room
London-North and Northwest London
May 11, 2018
The King’s Cross branch of Dishoom – the popular London chain of Bombay cafes with branches in Shoreditch and Covent Garden – has a surprise up its sleeve. Housed within a sprawling Victorian industrial building, The Permit Room is a handsome cocktail spot, the space divided by dark wooden panelling. There are inviting green leather seats and the whole room is flatteringly low lit. There’s table service and the staff are efficient and helpful. The drinks list focuses on old-school cocktails. There are Juleps & Smashes, Sours & Fizzes and a list of Martinis. The Chai Paanch is a peach of a drink blending Johnnie Walker, house chai and dark rum with lemon shrub and ginger and cocoa liqueurs. The Edwina’s Affair, is a lighter, more fragrant concoction, a blend of rose and cardamom, fresh mint, and candied rose petals. If you’re with a group the Bombay Presidency Punch, a mix of jaggery, lime, Darjeeling tea and Ceylon Arrack, served in a vintage punch bowl, is ideal for sharing. If you’re not in the mood for a cocktail it’s also worth trying the Dishoom IPA – specially crafted for Dishoom by London Fields Brewery. The Chili Cheese toast is brilliant cocktail fodder and, from the list of snacks, the ‘Far Far’, a bowl of salty, crispy things with an edge of lemon, really hit the spot.
