Curiously named drinks at Permit Room in Edinburgh that are worth trying

The first floor of Dishoomrsquos new Edinburgh space is inspired by Mumbairsquos historical reading rooms and libraries The green windows draw from the architecture of the David Sassoon Library in Kala Ghoda PicsDishoomIf you are in Edinburgh next month try the curiously named drinks at Permit Room the basement bar housed in Dishoomrsquos latest branch The Hornimanrsquos Old Fashioned for instance is made of smoked oak barrel rum pineapple syrup and bitters and we are warned that excessive consumption could lead to ldquolack of censorship inflammatory statements and ultimately deportationrdquo Christened after the noted editor of the Bombay Chronicle Benjamin Guy Horniman the tipple is joined by the Pila House Sling Marzbanrsquos Fizz and Tehmulrsquos TangleA vintage poster of a parody of Hamlet is part of the Permit Room menu PicMeher marfatialaughter in the house 20thCentury Parsi TheatreSince its first outlet in Covent Garden in 2010 Dishoom has seen three more outlets in London mdash Shoreditch Kingrsquos Cross and Carnaby With its modern twist on Indian dishes Dishoom was cofounded by Shamil and Kavi Thakrar and Amar and Adarsh Radia The new Edinburgh outpost mdash the first away from London mdash is concocted from Parsi theatre Mumbairsquos libraries and Irani cafeacutes These may seem like disjointed mdash and delicious mdash bits of aamchi Mumbai that have been teleported to the Scottish capital but the story of Dishoom is the story of Sir Patrick Geddes and everything that he loved ldquoGeddes was a great chap mdash a Scottish botanist sociologist town planner and an allround man of the peoplerdquo says cofounder Shamil Thakrar Geddes mdashDishoomrsquos Edinburgh mascot and connecting link across continents mdash spent many years in Mumbai in the early 1900s making friends like Horniman and frequenting reading rooms theatres and cafeacutesMeet the heroldquoWe made Geddes the protagonist of our story which finds him in the JN Petit Library and then follows him to Kyani and Cordquo says Shamil Geddesrsquo work improvised living conditions in Edinburghrsquos Old Town led him to Bombay in 1915 produced plans for fifty of Indiarsquos cities and founded the department of Sociology and Civics at the Bombay University The interiors of the restaurant are set to seduce diners with Geddesrsquo love for librariesShamil and Kavi along with designers Macaulay Sinclair researched libraries and reading rooms in Mumbai the kind of places that Geddes would have frequented such as the David Sassoon Library Peoplersquos Free Reading Room and the JN Petit Library The David Sassoon Libraryrsquos signage and green glass windows are referenced in the restaurantrsquos counterparts Other elements that create the feel of a reading room in Dishoom such as books vintage maps from the 1920s and reading lights have been brought in ldquoWe spent a lot of time at the National Library of Edinburgh and saw their collection of artefacts that had actually belonged to Geddes which date from his time in Edinburgh and in India mdash including letters between him and Gandhi Author Naresh Fernandes and Mumbai chronicler Simin Patel also helped with ferreting out news articles on Geddes from the early 20th centuryrdquo says ShamilCofounders Shamil and KaviThakrarPlay in the menu The sly joke housed in the Permit Room distinct from the restaurant upstairs is of course its very name inspired by the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949 which required tipplers to have a permit to consume alcohol The legislation mdash laughably flouted often mdash still exists Permit Room evokes the license but cheekily refutes it tooAt the heart of this bar is a wellresearched tribute to Parsi theatre ldquoThe tradition of Parsi theatre was a delightful connection to explore given Edinburghrsquos heritage in the performing arts such as the Fringe and Geddesrsquo love for theatrerdquo says Shamil A couple of years ago the cofounders bought a copy of Laughter in the House 20thCentury Parsi Theatre written by senior journalist and midday columnist Meher MarfatiaMarfatia has helped curate artwork that decorates the Permit Roomrsquos walls mdash characters and scenes from barmy performances theatre posters and about 70 photographs from plays by Adi Marzban Pheroze Antia and Dorab MehtaThe Permit Room menu sort of resembles a programme from a Parsi theatre production complete with original adverts and handdrawn illustrations In these pages Aflatoon mdash the henpecked Irani family retainer character mdash makes an appearance which Marfatia says is a perfect fit for the Permit Room ldquoAspandyar or Aflatoon is a hilarious character and has a great food connect Afla is forever feeding the family He is an important character in the capers and farces of Parsi theatre the follies and secrets of the family are with him and he is mostly discreet but sometimes notrdquo says Marfatia who has also played a role in the naming of the drinksIn the bar you might spot a Chinese fan a sola topi an accordion and other elements from Parsi theatre ldquoGeddes loved theatre and even staged his own performances which involved the whole community He wrote his Dramatisations of History in 1923 while he was living in India mdash Irsquom sure he was inspired by Parsi theatrerdquo says Shamil