Dum Biryani House

If you enjoy Indian food but take ages choosing, Dum’s got the answer: this easy-to-miss basement restaurant serves one vegetable and one meat-based Hyderabadi-style biryani, a daily special and a short list of snacks. As this is biryani from the former, central-Indian state of Hyderabadi, there’s a lot of saffron and cardamom, while ‘dum’ indicates biryanis are cooked slowly and sealed with a pastry top. The earth-coloured room is decorated with rattan chairs and fun artworks, although a lack of fabrics means it doesn’t feel cosy. Arrive hungry: Our lamb shank biryani was a large, rich portion with a velvety sauce. The vegetable biryani overflowed with the perfume of cardamom (not to everybody’s taste), while spice fans shouldn’t miss the lime-doused, tender chicken wings. Well-made cocktails are worth ordering and the wine list is incredibly succinct. Dum isn’t perfect, but it’s a decent choice for a reasonably priced, straightforward Indian.