If an old Bombay Café opened up on its local beach (while perhaps on a mild acid trip), the result would be Dishoom Chowpatty Beach.
From early May to the 4th October Dishoom, the critically acclaimed Bombay café, is taking you on an exciting summer holiday to Bombay’s favourite beach, right here in London as part of Southbank Centre’s Festival of Britain’s 60th anniversary celebrations with MasterCard. Adding a flash of colour to the area, the Dishoom Chowpatty Beach bar is just the place to kick off your flip flops, tuck into tasty Bombay food and sip summer tipples. Add to this, 48 tonnes of sand shipped to Southbank Centre, created by Grassroot Garden as part of the overall celebrations, and an exciting schedule of spontaneous events including impromptu, unplugged gigs and Dishoom Chowpatty Beach is one of this summer’s hottest ticket.
Constructed in the spirit of jugaad (Hindi for ‘making do’) – old materials, furnishings and decorations are ‘up-cycled’, refurbished and given a new lease of life. Spot the quirky, ‘I used to be a…’ inscribed on the furniture and fittings. With ‘making do’ a classic Bombay habit, think brightly coloured barrels for stools, reclaimed railway sleepers as bench seating on the alfresco terrace, a bar made from recycled plastic bottles and walls erected using old tightly-rolled newspapers. There are even old freight pallets cladding the outside of the building.
Enter the beach bar via an arched walkway festooned with thousands of multi-coloured used carrier bags. Inside, jam-jar lights hang overhead and brightly painted bentwood chairs contrast with a monochromatic, geometric floor. Faded portraits on the walls playfully subvert Dishoom’s more strait-laced home on St Martin’s Lane. Cool Bombay sounds and funky retro jazz provide the soundtrack as the Bombay café lets its hair down and parties for the summer.
Chowpatty beach is where all Bombay comes to snack and stroll. Every Bombayite has nostalgic memories of magical evenings with family and friends, enjoying the view of the Arabian Sea at dusk and the lights of the skyline across the bay. The ramshackle food stalls that pepper the beach are revered for serving the tastiest Pau Bhaji in India. Everyone has their favourite Gola-wallah, who shaves ice from huge blocks, packs it onto a stick and douses it in delicious syrup.
The Gola-wallahs at Dishoom Chowpatty beach will be serving authentic Gola flavours, alongside their playful (and naughty) twists. The rest of the drinks menu is equally tempting - Bombay Pimm’s Summer Cup, Spiked Colaba Ice Tea, Thums Up Floats, Beers, Wines, Prosecco and Champagne.
You can also treat yourself to classic Bombay food, including Pau Bhaji, the Dishoom Frankie (freshly baked naan filled with spicy lamb mince), and what is almost an obsession in Bombay - the naughty Vada Pau, fried potatoes in a bun with homemade chilli chutneys – call it an Indian chip butty! And, no menu from Dishoom would be complete without the much-loved, signature bacon naan roll.
Come on, loosen that tie, roll up your trousers, bare those legs and join the party at Dishoom Chowpatty Beach.
