Chokhi Dhani: pure opulence as high-end Rajasthani dining comes to Battersea
Michelin-star pedigree combines traditions of Indian street food with hints of French cuisine
Foie Gras is one the last things you would expect to find on an Indian restaurant menu, but at Chokhi Dhani the eclectic and extravagant rub shoulders with the everyday – to, at times, stunning effect.
Located in the once off-limits Nine Elms area of Battersea, south London, the restaurant is just a stone’s throw away from the new US embassy, and one of a number of new openings making up London’s burgeoning ‘diplomatic quarter’ dining scene.
The first London outpost of five-star Rajansthani restaurant and hotel chain, Chokhi Dhani combines Michelin-star pedigree and the traditions of Indian street food with a touch of high-end French cooking.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A ground floor bar area, replete with a 15ft bronze elephant, serves cocktails and small street food plates, making way for a fine-dining restaurant upstairs.
A welcome cocktail comprising Bulleit Bourbon, fresh basil, grapefruit, masala tea, topped with prosecco (Tulsi Spritz) seems perfectly in keeping with the surroundings, where the owners have opted for opulence over understatement at every turn.
Tapping in to the Dishoom-boom for Indian street food with a twist, head chef Vishnu Natarajan, who most recently cut his teeth at Soho’s Carom, attempts a contemporary take on traditional Rajasthani cooking, which offers up some surprising and, on the whole, successful culinary combinations.
Starters of vegetarian dumplings served with chickpea in a crispy grated-potato basket (kadak momo chaat) and prawn kempu bexule are superb whilst also being suitably light although the highly recommended Khargosh, pulled slow cooked rabbit with Bhaang (a legal form of edible cannabis) served on a missi roti was a rare misstep in an otherwise hugely assured menu.
Unlike many British Indian restaurants, Natarajan has opted for a less-is-more approach – perhaps saving all the sensory overload for the decor – while still managing to pack a huge punch with his slimmed-down menu.
On offer are classic tandoor and signature dishes such as aromatic chicken murgh joshila, jumbo tiger prawns served in the shell and bamboo seafood pilau served in banana leaves with spiced chutneys but it is the foie gras tandoor that will, inevitably, get people talking.
Some may balk at the sheer extravagance of combining the rich flavours of Indian cuisine with the heavy luxury of foie gras and pumpkin (a world-first we are told) but here it works to near-perfection and is almost worth the trip to Battersea by itself.
Perhaps sensing our apprehension, our waiter suggests the vegetarian maharani thali or meat maharaja thali feast which, while comprising over 12 dishes, serves as a perfect complement to the foie gras.
Some of the best offerings are reserved for desert, with a menu that delivers a fresh take on the usual staid staples.
Classic Indian sweets of gulab jamun and frozen ginger and honey kulfi served with mango gel and mango and cardoman panna cotta are given a much-needed refresh and are joined by a rose crème brulee served in a honey-comb with balsamic, rose petal relish and meringue.
All were excellent, but for carrying on the French-inspiration and providing a delicious counterweight to some of the heavier mains, the crème brulee just edges it.
As is so often the case with Indian food, it is easy to go overboard when ordering, especially when there is this much to recommend, and as you would expect from the plates on offer it is not cheap.
Dishes range from £8 for a starter to £22 for the must-try foie gras tandoor plate, with the 12-dish vegetarian or meat thalis, ideal for sharing, going for £25.
But as part of its soft opening until 11 April, the restaurant is offering up to 50% off food – so get a reservation if you can – if only to experience the foie gras dish and deserts.
Talking to Natarajan afterwards it is clear he is keen to develop and refine the menu, but if opening night is anything to go by – he has an excellent base from which to work.
2 Riverlight Quays, Nine Elms Road, Battersea, south London; chokhidhani.co.uk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Criminal trail?'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Grindr 'shared user HIV status' with ad firms, lawsuit claims
Speed Read LGBTQ dating app accused of breaching UK data protection laws in case filed at London's High Court
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
The best dog-friendly hotels around the UK
The Week Recommends Take a break with your four-legged friend in accommodation that offers you both a warm welcome
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Death Cafes: where people talk mortality over tea and cake
Why everyone's talking about The meet-ups are intended to offer a judgement-free and respectful space to discuss the end of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Tuck in to British fusion cuisine
The Week Recommends The trend for combining classics from two food cultures can result in dishes that are doubly delicious
By The Week UK Published
-
9 restaurants primed for spring dining
The Week Recommends Winter be gone. Appetites are ready for the warmer months.
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Good-value restaurants for fine food on a budget
The Week Recommends From an 'immensely likeable' French bistro to a family-run pub in Essex
By The Week UK Published
-
The lasting changes of the post-pandemic dining era
The Explainer The newest of new normals
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated