28. Before Michelin stars and Instagram tables; William Sitwell on what we’ve lost and found in dining out and why Dishoom does it right!

In today’s episode, Anjli is joined by William Sitwell  one of the UK’s most established food writers, a restaurant critic for The Telegraph,  authors and broadcasters. He’s the former editor of Waitrose Food magazine,  a familiar face on MasterChef, and the author of The Restaurant: A History of Dining Out — a book that traces how the simple act of eating out has evolved across centuries and continents.

This episode isn’t just about the history of restaurants; it’s also about what dining means right now. With William, we talk about that tension between nostalgia, simplicity, and skill  and what it really takes to create a restaurant that leaves a mark. We also explore London’s shifting food culture, the role of memory in dining, and why restaurants like Dishoom have done such a brilliant job of capturing the soul of Bombay within the London scene.