New Openings: Bombay Bustle

The Jamavar team celebrates Mumbai’s "dabbawalas" at its new Mayfair site, Bombay Bustle

What’s new? Tiffin and cocktails get acquainted at what was Hibiscus, now magically transformed, on Maddox Street

Behind the scenes: Samyukta Nair and Rohit Ghai, Jamavar co-founder and executive chef respectively, fresh from celebrating Jamavar’s shiny new star in the Michelin Guide.

The concept: Mumbai’s labyrinthine network of lunch delivery guys – think of it as India’s no-tech precursor to UberEats – has inspired novels, films and business case studies. Designers Fabled Studio (Jamavar, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay etc) have focused on the suburban train network that supports the dabbawalas – the tiffin tin carriers – as seen in such perfect details as the nifty hat rack-cum-mirror and overhead luggage racks and cut-glass screens reminiscent of railway "retiring rooms". 

I’m particularly besotted with the tiny curvy bar at the entrance. All shiny surfaces and pretty pleated lights, it’s as inviting to me now as my mother’s dressing table was to me as a girl (but with crystal coupes and Darjeeling cocktails in place of perfumes and powder puffs). Is it a "posh Dishoom" as my guest ventures? Well, yes and no. Sharing plates; not expensive; good for families; but it has a chic, feminine personality entirely its own.

What’s cooking?Comfort food from the great Mumbai melting pot, such as goat keema pao,  perfect dosas, super-spicy quail "65", the crisp little legs scarlet with chilli, Chettinad duck dosas and even spicy scrambled eggs with truffle naan (fancy, but not exactly the instant classic I’d hoped for). It’s easy to get sidetracked by the streetwise small plates, but the tandoor dishes (next time: Achari lamb chops) and biryani are must-orders.

Desserts feel a little mucked about with; the gorgeous layered jalebi-meets-malai ‘cheesecake’ with glistening saffron jelly deserves better than a dated chocolate-painted plate. One thing though: where are all the tiffin tins? Launching at lunch in a few weeks, I’m told. Until then, Bombay Bustle can’t really deliver the anticipatory thrill of unpacking a lunch box to discover the delights within.

Signature dishes: There’s no rest for Bombay Bustle’s amiable and eccentric manager John, who’s rarely seen without a whole spit-roast Kolhapuri chicken, ready to be dissected with a flourish for yet another hungry table. Rubbed with an aromatic blend of 12 spices, the Suffolk-reared bird yields a deeply savoury gravy that I could eat like soup.

Best for: A Christmas shopping pick-me-up. The four front room booths are the best in the house. Each one has space for four with room to spare for an armful of Liberty bags.

Bombay Bustle, 29 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PA, 020 7290 4470, bombaybustle.com