What to expect from new Indian restaurant Dhamroo which has taken over the Bhoomi Kitchen site in Headington, the latter listed in the Michelin Guide and sister restaurant to Dose Darlings on Cowley Road?
Would it maintain with the same bent and intention by continuing to take Indian food up a notch, in contrast to the myriad of street food style restaurants popping up around the city, or bring something entirely new to the table?
The answer is a bit of both because it’s been taken over by Rakshit Shetty R and M A Adnan Khan who jumped at the chance to take on the esteemed restaurant on London Road, while aiming to maintain its legacy.
while it might seem that little has changed except the name, the standards remain brilliantly elevated
So while it might seem that little has changed except the name, the standards remain brilliantly elevated, the chefs the same. And as it has been a while since we visited Bhoomi Kitchen our appetites were on high alert.
We arrived early, the restaurant quiet, but within 10 minutes it was full with couples, a big group of friends, the tables filling up all the way to the back in the dark green and mustard hued interior, its murals lifting the vibe.
was the Indian crisp selection an unnecessarily fancy name for a poppadum? No siree!
The service is exemplary, the smartly dressed waiters quickly providing a stunning Negroni and a beer to accompany the Indian crisp selection – an unnecessarily fancy name for a poppadum? No siree. Instead a stunning array of delicacies arrived in all shapes and colours, some curled tight – crispy and spicy, others shaped like giant Hula Hoops with the texture of prawn crackers, and a waffle-like sweet/savoury addition called achappan made with coconut milk, all served with homemade mango chutney. The standard was set.
The rest of the menu was harder to choose from, so many delicious sounding dishes clamouring for attention. But the Dhamroo Banquet for £37 covered all the bases with three starters and three mains with bread or rice to alleviate the tension.
the Dhamroo Banquet for £37 covered all the bases with three starters and three mains with bread or rice
The starters all arrive on one dish, pretty as a picture (see main pic), the lamb samosa packed into a cone like an ice cream topped with mint sauce, the filling lightly spiced, then two pieces of boneless chicken marinated and deep fried served on a bed of raw mango chutney – juicy, succulent, spicy, piping hot.
But it was the chilli paneer that made the biggest impression, the sauce sweet and sour, the fried crispy cheese nestling in a sauce rich with onion and pepper. It popped!
the pani puri were served with a side of homemade masala potatoes and a tiny jug of flavoured tamarind water
We accompanied it with the onion bhajis, because here presumably they would be next level, and the pani puri – the crispy hollow shells served with a side of homemade masala potatoes and a tiny jug of flavoured tamarind water, a self assembly job then – just remember to eat them in in one go, otherwise the juice dribbles out, so pack it out.
The bhajis were shredded and sliced and then packed into a loose clump, deep-fried and served with a tamarind sauce – crispy, oily and absolutely irresistible.
The banquet gave you a choice of mains – butter chicken, chettinad beef, lamb nigiri and prawn thokku
The banquet gave you a choice of mains – butter chicken, chettinad beef, lamb nigiri and prawn thokku all served with a side of tiny cubes of masala potatoes. We went chicken and beef and the contrast between the two was perfect; the succulent chicken creamy and spicy with a hint of sweetness running through.
The beef on the other hand was richer and spicier, dense in flavour; the slow cooked meat enriched with fennel, cumin, coriander, curry leaves, grated coconut, and quite sensational, beef curry rare on Indian menus at the best of times, let alone of this calibre.
“That’s the nicest curry I’ve had in a long time,” my husband said, mopping up the last dregs with the light flaky, buttery kerala parotta.
“That’s the nicest curry I’ve had in a long time”
The masala dosa – a huge, long chickpea rice crepe filled with crushed masala potatoes served with sambar and coconut chutney was another must, milder then many you’ll find in Oxford, (we could have done with a bit more heat) but easy to rip and dip, and the side of creamy black lentils finished the meal off in style.
Oh, apart from the dessert – how did we manage it? No idea, but the creamy scented, fragrant, rich, sweet, creamy bowl of paysam with fried cashew nuts and raisins was worth a few buttons popping off the waistband.
So go, Dhamroo is superb, elevating Oxford’s extensive, rich, Indian culinary heritage even further. Don’t miss out! And if you don’t fancy an evening visit try the two course £17 lunch or £17.95 thali lunch.
Dhamroo is at 70 London Rd, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7PD. Go to https://www.dhamroo.co.uk
