Dishoom →
From London to Bombay, and Back Again

We'll be walking you through the process that allowed us to translate a world-class physical experience into an industry-leading digital estate.

In this instalment, we’ll be exploring how we approached the (adjective-packed) brief of transferring Dishoom’s "innocent, big-hearted, slightly-barmy, sepia-tinted, charmed world” into pixels. No thesaurus required.

“From Bombay with Love”. It’s a simple premise, but Dishoom could not be more loyal to their Irani café roots; fusing this sentiment seamlessly with London’s bustling backdrop. Taking world-building to a truly international level, much of the restaurant’s in-venue antiques and trinkets were sourced directly from Bombay itself — with immersion and transportation their identifier in the UK restaurant scene.

With Dishoom's previous website relying on the replication of printed assets — including their iconic newspaper-inspired menus as the basis of their interface — we were determined for the new experience to realise a far deeper immersion. One that realised their nostalgic and enchanting worldview through ambitious video, tailored storytelling and detail-led Art Direction.

This began with capturing Bombay in its natural state, leaning into its reputation as ‘the city that never sleeps’ through visuals that honour moments of unconventional romance — the faded elegance of winding streets, the passing of Taxi-wallas, exchanges in street markets, satisfying first bites of chaat. We commissioned Bombay-born cinematographer Nirali Naik with an intentionally open brief. One that gave her the freedom to capture her real-life experience of and deep attachment to her hometown.

Footage was then partnered with venue-specific videos by London-based South Asian director Sanvir Singh. Capturing the sense of diaspora experienced by many who’ve immigrated was essential in mirroring the in-venue ambience online, with the colour-grading of this work an invaluable element of emulating the warm, nostalgic ties between the two worlds.

Dishoom’s ‘founding myths’ were also an opportunity for transportative storytelling online — with each venue’s narrative rooted in a specific era of Bombay, centring on a central character and theme. While these stories formed the basis of all interior design and much of the individual restaurant’s drink and specials menus, they had previously only been explored digitally through templated, long-form text on duplicated location pages.

Looking to capitalise on the immense creative potential of these myths, we designed dedicated café pages for each site, bringing the characters to the fore with rich illustration, animation and typography.

With the aim of differentiating each venue and immersing the viewer from the first click, each location page brought their in-venue artwork guides to life online — creating an engaging experience without disrupting the journey.

So much more went into crafting a truly transportive experience for Dishoom, but sometimes it’s best to let the work speak for itself.

Click here to be transported into the world of Bombay — it’s cheaper than a plane ticket.

Join us in our next instalment of Capturing the Dishoom Magic, where we deep-dive the subtle yet surprising design elements hidden throughout the side crafted to spark longing and prioritise emotion over function.