Review: Dhamroo, Headington

Dhamroo is a new South Indian spot in Headington, taking over the former Bhoomi Kitchen site and giving it a tidy refresh. The menu is set-format only, with either a 3-course menu (£35pp) or a banquet (£39pp), where you get to try a bit of everything. You can’t just order a single main, which felt a little odd – great if you’re hungry or going as a group, less so for a quick pop-in curry craving. Luckily, Nicola and I brought our full appetite (as if we don’t always do this).

We went banquet-style and the meal started well.

The Chicken 65 came with a tangy sauce and tender chicken – solid crowd-pleaser territory. The winner of the round was absolutely the Chilli Paneer: crispy, flavour-packed paneer with crunchy veg that we’d happily order again. Onion Bhajis were huge, golden, and crunchy. All the starters felt generous without tipping into the classic “oops we went too hard on starters” regret.

For mains, the Butter Chicken was tasty but a bit too sweet for us, and the Prawn Thokku was fragrant and well seasoned. There was a generous amount of prawns with the thokku, which typically is an issue when ordering a prawn dish. We shared rice and parotta – crispy, buttery, flaky layers of joy. Would eat a stack of these solo.

Desserts were sweetly offered as a trio: Carrot Halwa, Payasam, and Gulab Jamun. The gulab jamun easily stole the show – syrupy, soft, and just the right level of sugar to finish things off.

To drink, Nicola tried the Desi Mimosa, their twist on the classic with chilli and Cointreau. We couldn’t really taste the twist, but it was a decent mimosa. I had a Cobra, and Nicola rounded off with a fresh-cooked Chai, which took a minute but felt very authentic and cosy. Nothing like a hot chai to wrap up the meal.

The space is clean, neatly styled, and feels fresh. Staff were lovely and attentive. Portions across all dishes were quite good. Overall, Dhamroo is a nice addition to Headington, especially if you’re with people who like sharing and trying a variety of dishes. The set-menu-only format won’t be everyone’s dream, but if you arrive hungry and with a bit of curiosity, you’ll leave happy.