Review: Permit Room

First off, Permit Room, please personally thank your interior designer on my behalf. This place was so expertly put together, from the print on the tables, to the lamps, all the way to the wood stain. Our table was in a pretty high traffic area but not once did we feel disrupted, in fact we had plenty of space to admire the lighting and décor, plus do a little people watching at the same time. There is so much to say here so buckle up, you might be here a while.

I think the best way to get started is with a list of everything we ordered. An impressive menu with absolutely no shortage of vegan and vegetarian dishes, and don’t get me started on the cocktail menu. I saw ‘chai’ and was immediately on the Chai Caffé Martini. The combination of spices, banana, and rum was entirely unexpected and very much welcome; I’ve never had anything quite like it. The New Permit Room Old Fashioned came together with coconut, date, and sherry notes. Equally unexpected, utterly delicious. The undertones of coconut and banana came through in both drinks fantastically- there’s a reason Permit Room is known for their cocktails. Worth noting the Old Fashioned was served batched in a fun bottle, and I’m nothing if not a fan of practicality. The same goes for the rest of the ‘on the rocks’ section of the menu, but we’ll get to that later. Advocate for more batched cocktails in restaurants.

Right, here we go. In no particular order: Chakli, Crispy Spinach Chaat, Vegetable Samosas, Chilli Chips, Aunty’s Masala Eggs, Chole, Jackfruit Berry Pulao, Charred Sweet Potato, Raita, Garlic Naan, and Steamed Basmati Rice. Yes, it was a lot of food, but we made a pretty good effort so please, allow me to explain. I have to mention that our server was so knowledgeable I found it hard to believe. Any and all questions were answered with details we didn’t even know we needed, and they did in fact let us know we ordered a huge amount of food. We should’ve listened. After agreeing to go against this wise advice, we started with the Chakli just to get our tastebuds working. Upon biting into my first piece, I realised I’d had Chakli many times in the past and disliked it, but something about this environment changed my mind. It was a perfect bar snack- crispy and light with the hot and sweet chutney for dipping. This kept us happy for a good while.

On my last visit to Permit Room, I got my hands on a lamb samosa in a gorgeously crisp filo pastry which is actually my preferred wrapping for a samosa, but when I bit into the Punjabi-style shortcrust on these vegetable samosas I was truly taken aback. A stark difference from the lamb samosa (which I also loved), this was a hearty mix of potatoes, peas, carrots and warm cinnamon and cloves. Just like it says on the menu, “God loves a triangle”, and he sure loves these ones. The pastry was buttery, flaking apart perfectly yet not leaving anywhere near as much mess as one may expect. They came with a mild tamarind sauce which complemented the full flavours just wonderfully.

Now, the Crispy Spinach Chaat was somewhat of a detective mission for us, because one of our favourite dishes from our beloved Indian restaurant back home is their Crispy Kale Chaat. The spinach retained its airiness despite its delicate nature and being drenched in sauces, something that impressed us a great deal. It was both sweet and tart, every burst of pomegranate was like being in heaven. This was an incredibly close second, but that kale chaat holds a very, very special place in our hearts. I still remain impressed with the state of the crispy fried spinach by the time we finished it off, because it had been staring at us for a while before we finally managed to scrape up the scraps.

I’m a big fan of reading a menu weeks in advance, and in the weeks prior to this booking, I’d been eyeing up the Chilli Chips. I’ve been disappointed by chilli chips in the past- mushy, soft, saucy in a bad way, so I was curious to get in on these ones. In my head, chilli chips are fries dusted in chaat masala but I think it’s about time I changed my definition because that’s clearly incorrect. These twice cooked fries coated in an Indo-Chinese sauce were the perfect texture, with pops of crunch but the focus being on the sticky sauce. It clung to the fries and still let them have their moment. Our server was kind enough to let us know before ordering that these fries are notoriously spicy, but I was pleased with the spice level I experienced, and I don’t consider my tolerance particularly high.

Aunty’s Masala Eggs also caught my eye- I’m on a devilled egg kick at the moment. Something about them is just so fun I can’t resist. These ones were loaded with a kachumber style mix of onions, tomatoes, and chutney which kept them super fresh and quite a nice palate cleanser. They were hidden away by the millions of other dishes on the table so when I found my way back to them halfway through, I was very happy. They were nice and cold with a really gentle kick, a nice break from the rest of the meal. At this point it was time to order another cocktail, because how could I come to the home of Brighton’s Best Cocktail and only try one?

After hopping between the Mangosteen Daquiri, Blushing Dawn Paloma, and Permit Room Clover Club, I went the opposite way with a Mango Lassi Punch. Another rocks cocktail served in a snazzy potion bottle for my pouring pleasure, and pour I did. The colour of this was spectacular, clear with a golden tint and a remarkable aroma. A sharpness from the yoghurt helped cut the sweetness and balance it all out; I grew more astonished with each sip. After I ordered it there was a short wait, no longer than ten minutes and a wait neither of us noticed because we were so engrossed in everything else. Our server came by, checked I had ordered and with no hesitation said, ‘that’ll be on the house’. An admirable show of hospitality and a great example of staff being on top of their game.

The Chole was our next victim. Heavier than anticipated, we hardly made a dent. A dense sauce with a base of black tea, cumin, and dried mango, generously decorated with soft chickpeas. This dish felt like home; a warm, familiar taste with something exciting on the tip of your tongue. I got stuck into this with a piece of garlic naan, mopping it up as best I could. The naan itself was lightly charred and fluffy, both to the ideal level and surprisingly garlicky enough. I’m always one to go overboard with garlic but there was so much happening on this table, more flavour would have sent it right over the edge. I couldn’t even about the rice in this moment because of how much I was struggling for space, so the rice went untouched.

Instead of the Basmati Rice being a vessel for the Chole, I tried to hit two birds with one stone and tackle the Jackfruit Berry Pulao at the same time. Firstly, the size of this was unbelievable. When this came out, we looked at each other in panic. A true ‘what have we done’ look. The rice was fragrant and jewelled with pomegranate seeds. A beautiful sight. As we dug deeper, out came the jackfruit. My first time having it in its whole state, and boy was it tasty. Probably the best whole vegetable meat alternative I have had in my time. It being wonderfully cooked definitely helped, because the texture really took it through the roof. The chunks of jackfruit flesh were big and meaty, absorbing all flavours present. Our server recommended the Raita if we planned on ordering pulao, and who am I to argue with someone who knows best. A friendly, basic raita to calm down the palate after all this excitement, it was exactly what I needed. Freshened everything up while helping me prepare for seconds.

Between my first and second deep dives, we both finished our glasses of water and were about to catch someone’s eye for a refill. I also realised we’d been sitting for nearly two hours, which usually means it’s time to wrap up. Lo and behold, all these words were taken straight out of my mouth. Over came our server with a full jug of water and some words of encouragement. ‘There’s no rush for your table so feel free to take your time.’ Excuse me? You must be a mind reader. Between this and the consistent but not overbearing check-backs, this might have been some of the best service I’ve ever had. It was clear all the staff had been well trained in both food and drinks, as well as making sure every guest has the smoothest experience possible.

Don’t worry, it’s almost over. Almost, but not quite. We always like something green so it feels like we’re doing ourselves good, so initially decided on the Tenderstem Broccoli which was simply steamed and grilled and tossed in chilli and lime. But of course we love to try new things, so we ended up with a huge Charred Sweet Potato. This gorgeous yellow potato was sugary, steamy, soft in the best way and got a nice hit of chilli-lime masala to perk it up. The edges and skin were charred and crisp just the way they should be, with the flesh of the potato falling apart effortlessly. We definitely could have done with that broccoli considering the sheer weight of our other choices, but that’s our bad. This potato was delicious and deserved far more love than we were capable of showing.

Right, you’ve reached the end. Despite practically bursting at the seams, I couldn’t leave without my sweet treat. The Sweet Malai Toast sounded right up my alley but the words ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ caught my eye. I recalled coming across an announcement for these many months ago, a collaboration with Boho Gelato, a nearby gelateria with some very ambitious and well-executed flavours. While I’m always in the market for any form of mango, my body was begging for something lighter, so Rose Ripple it was. This rose syrup and vanilla ice cream smelled delightful. You know how ice cream sandwiches nine times out of ten, will have a soggy outer shell? Well, this one didn’t. Even though I am somewhat partial to a chewy ice cream sandwich. A uniform slab of rosy ice cream between two thin wafers was the most perfect way to end the evening.

I know this review was heavy on the food but the one thing I have relayed to people about this dinner in the week since, was the impeccable service and atmosphere. So while the food was impeccable as well, this goes to show how far good service can go. From start to finish, this was fantastic, and I look forward to returning for breakfast.