Koyal

I have written previously about Koyal which is a sister of Dastaan. This little group has an expanding family if restaurants including Dastaan Leeds, The Kokum and Black Salt. The head chef at Koyal is Nand Kishor, who led the kitchen at Dastaan and was formerly head chef of Gymkhana.

At this meal I had pre-ordered the top-quality Arnaud Tauzin chicken from the Landes on south west France, which was used in two dishes. This is arguably the best chicken in the world, and I prefer it to the milder flavour of Bresse chicken. It is an order of magnitude pricier that the basic chicken normally used in Indian restaurants, but has far superior flavour. 

This was initially used in generous chicken chops, which had tender thigh meat marinated with spices before being cooked in the tandoor. This was really lovely, the chicken’s superb flavour really coming though. As an alternative, sweet potato and kale chaat (£8) was prepared with tangy yoghurt and pomegranate seeds for freshness. This was good, though I am not sure that sweet potato is an improvement on regular potato in this dish (15/20). Stone bass tikka (£16) was classy, the fish having lovely texture and its natural flavour enhanced by the carefully balanced spices of the marinade. This was classy cooking (17/20).

Methi chicken was the second use of the Arnaud Tauzin chicken, the chicken breast flavoured with fenugreek leaves and other spices, the meat tender and its distinct flavour not overwhelmed by the fenugreek. We also had excellent makhani dhal (£10.50), made overnight and having lovely texture. The dark, brooding spicy flavour of the dish came through particularly well (16/20). Palaak mushroom (£8) was made with garlic, fresh spinach, chestnut mushrooms and spices. This dish had deep spinach flavour, nicely enhanced by the garlic and spices, and the mushrooms were carefully cooked (16/20). Garlic potatoes were flavoured with garlic, fresh coriander and featured wild mustard from Himalaya. These were light and fluffy, and their flavour was beautifully enhanced by the mustard in particular (16/20). Garlic naan was very delicate, with just enough garlic favour to lift it (15/20). We didn’t make it to dessert. I deliberately did not incorporate the Arnaud Tauzin chicken dishes in the main score here (as they were a special pre-order), but if I did then the chicken chop would be getting on for 18/20 and the methi chicken 17/20.

The bill came to £73 per person with plenty of beer to drink. This included a substantial supplement for the pre-ordered Arnaud Tauzin chicken.  If you ordered off the regular menu then a typical cost per person might be around £60. Koyal is serving some of the absolute best Indian food in the capital. It compared favourably to pretty much all the Michelin-starred Indian restaurants in central London.

Further reviews: 02nd Mar 2025 | 27th Dec 2024 | 06th Dec 2024 | 06th Oct 2024