A new all-day food and drink venue is open in Liverpool in the next few weeks promising the look and feel of an old Bombay ‘permit house’. Tony McDonough reports

A former bank in Liverpool city centre will be converted into a new food and drink venue to open in March.

Hospitality chain Dishoom will open Permit Room Liverpool at Exchange Court, No. 1 Dale Street, which formerly housed the Royal Bank of Scotland adjacent to Liverpool Town Hall.

There will be a ‘soft launch’ of the venue in late February for which the venue will open bookings shortly with the full public launch in early March. There will be a 50% discount on food in the soft launch period.

Offering all-day food, drink and cocktails, Permit Room Liverpool seeks to recreate the air of the old Bombay (now Mumbai) ‘permit rooms’. In 1949 Bombay, The Prohibition Act was passed and the sale of liquor was banned.

In the 1960s and 1970s ushered in a new era, restrictions on drinking began to ease. The Permit Room of Bombay arrived.

Liverpool’s version will offer curries as well as breakfast naan rolls and bottomless House Chai for the morning after. Curries include the chef’s lamb curry, with its rich masala sauce, and the coconutty Prawn Moilee inspired by South Indian home-cooking.

“We’ve wanted to bring Dishoom to Liverpool for a long time, and Permit Room felt like the perfect way to do it,” said Brian Trolip, Dishoom chief executive.

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“Our Permit Rooms are lively and rooted in the spirit of Bombay’s drinking culture – a place for cocktails, comfort food and connection, all day long. We can’t wait to open our doors and become part of the city.”

Emmie Woods, Development Manager at Bruntwood, which owns and manages Exchange Court, added: “Its arrival marks an exciting new chapter for the building, bringing fresh energy to the area and drawing even more people into the heart of the city.”