ALL WELCOME
Founding myths
In which a charismatic but wayward Irani seeks redemption
5 min read
Bombay, 1949.
It is a close and heavy monsoon night on Marine Lines. Despite the weather, there is a jostling of people outside the Bombay Roxy. Well-turned-out gentlemen and flirty-eyed women clad in Banarasi silk saris all crane to catch a glimpse of Bombay’s finest musicians. The heavy doors to the club swing open and closed. Hot jazz spills out into the street.
The club didn’t always have this pull or indeed its current reputation. It is housed within a former cinema. The previous owner’s savings had been frittered away on the floors of marble, panelling of Burmese teak and four large chandeliers. It had been a beautiful but bankrupting experiment in Art Deco extravagance.
Under new management, it is café by day and club by night. The fortunes of the Bombay Roxy have been turned around, and now it shines brightly where darkness once stood. Bombay society comes here, to see and be seen. Local hustlers try to get the better of American card-sharks. Wealthy men of industry eye up coquettish women in cholis that expose more of their midriffs than strictly considered decent. A moustachioed Maharaja with an accent polished at Harrow or Eton exchanges pleasantries with several glamorous ladies who have perfected the art of looking beautifully bored.
The building has become a hot-tempered, noisy beast in the city’s belly, roaring through the night until the sun rises.
The man behind this reinvention is the charismatic Cyrus Irani. His name was once synonymous with Bombay’s racketeers, with murky allegiances, and with police escorts to Arthur Road Jail. Now no longer a jailbird, Cyrus fully intends to put the Bombay underworld behind him. And his new venture, the Bombay Roxy, might just be his redemption.
[Enter CYRUS IRANI.]
Discover 'Night at the Bombay Roxy'
Read on
It is a close and heavy monsoon night on Marine Lines.
Despite the weather, there is a jostling of people outside the Bombay Roxy.
The heavy doors to the club swing open and closed. Hot jazz spills out into the street.
The club didn’t always have this pull or indeed its current reputation.
The man behind this reinvention is the charismatic Cyrus Irani.
His name was once synonymous with Bombay’s racketeers. The Bombay Roxy, might just be his redemption.
Art deco extravagance and quick tempo’d Jazz roared through the city in 1940s Bombay. Swarms of high society were pulled in by sell-out bands, “hot” new music spilled out onto the street. Inside Dishoom Kensington, the golden age of Bombay Jazz is both remembered and reimagined. In the voluptuous curves and chandeliers. In the glitz, glimmer and shine. All are welcome.
Begin your day at Dishoom with breakfast, which might be a Bacon Naan Roll, Akuri or Parsi Omelette. Then, lunch lightly on a Paneer Roomali Roll and fancy Salads, or linger with a feast. Refresh your afternoon with a drop of Chai and a small plate or two. Dine early or dine late. Or just join us for a tipple – perhaps an India Gimlet or a Bombay Bellini, to add pep to your quick-swing-step.
Nihari – a famously hearty and robust dish – is synonymous with celebration. Made into a biryani, it is doubly so. Tender shank of lamb is layered with rice and caramelised onions then sealed beneath a pastry blanket. Enriched further with kaleji (chicken liver) raita and nihari gravy. Best when shared.
Classic margarita takes a charismatic turn, named for a wayward character who sought redemption. Lime juice and turmeric-honey lassi syrup, shaken hard and strained finely into a sours glass with your choice of Tequila el Jimador or 100% Espadín Mezcal.
Live music is back at Dishoom Kensington. You’re warmly invited to come along on Thursdays and Fridays to party heartily over one too many tipples and a toothsome feast. There is much fun to be had.
Dishoom is mostly a walk-in café. All are welcome, any time, no reservations needed. However, if you'd like to make a reservation, groups of any size may book during the day. After 6pm, we accept bookings for groups of six or more.
Welcome to Bombay Roxy: one of the most exciting Jazz clubs in the city. The heavy doors swing open and close – inside, weave through the crowd. Moving as quickly as the black and white keys on the piano are the gentlemens’ legs on the dance floor. Look up: you are in the midst of Bombay’s thriving Jazz scene, relics of which hang loudly on the walls.
ABOVE: Mickey Correa playing at the Taj on the night of Independence
ABOVE: Poster for Dishoom Kensington's one-off immersive production
ABOVE: Mickey Correa on Colaba Causeway
ABOVE: Luis Armstrong, Jewel Brown and Eddie Shu at the Shanmukhananda Hall, Bombay in 1964
ABOVE: Vikash Khai as Cyrus Irani in 'Night at the Bombay Roxy'
ABOVE: Before the opening of ANDAAZ, the first picture screened at Liberty
ABOVE: Chris Perry and Lorna Cordeiro
ABOVE: Sophie Khan Levy as Ursula Vaz in 'Night at the Bombay Roxy'
ABOVE: The pianist Olga Craen, the Goan wife of Jules Craen, was an accomplished musician in her own right
ABOVE: Chic Chocolate playing at the Taj Hotel
Find us
Dishoom Kensington
4 Derry Street
London
W8 5SE
Contact
Tel: 0207 420 9325
Opening times
Monday—Friday 8am to 11pm
Saturday & Sunday 9am to 11pm
Bank Holidays open as usual
Transport
Nearest Tube Station: High Street Kensington
Nearest Bus Stop: High Street Kensington Station
Nearest Santander Cycle Station: Derry Street
For further guidance on visiting Dishoom Kensington, kindly click here
Facilities
Live jazz on Thursday and Friday evenings. Click here for more information.
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Wheelchair-accessible lift
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Step-free access to the front door
Loo on the same floor as the dining area
Disabled loo
Group bookings
We accept bookings online up to four months in advance for up to 16 guests and accept enquiries for 16+. For larger parties or for specific event requests, do get in touch with us directly at feasting@dishoom.com to book.
Dishoom Kensington
4 Derry Street
London
W8 5SE
'Night at the Bombay Roxy' was a rich, immersive Indian noir one-off live production inspired by the glamorous art Deco world of 1940s Bombay and the story of the charismatic and wayward Cyrus Irani...
The story continues
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