Koyal

I have written previously about the background of Koyal and its talented head chef, Nand Kishor. 

At this latest meal we tried an array of starters. Beetroot tikki (£9.50) was as good as ai remember it, having a crisp outer coating and plenty of beetroot flavour. This came with turmeric-tempered yoghurt, mint and coriander chutney. The earthy flavour of the beetroot, laced with gentle spices, worked nicely with the yoghurt (16/20).

An old favourite here is hara pyaaz, aloo and palak ke bhajiye (£8.50). This dish is essentially a take on onion bhajia, a trio of spring onion, potato and spinach fritters, served with hari chutney, a green, tangy chutney made with coriander, green chilli, lemon, ginger and mint. This dish is fried and has a crisp texture, completely avoiding the greasiness that often happens with onion bhajias in less capable hands. It is impressive to me when chefs transform humble ingredients into something delicious (16/20).

Chicken tikka (£13) had generous chunks of chicken breast, marinated with Greek yoghurt, Kashmiri chillies, garam masala and mint. The meat was tender and had nicely absorbed the marinade, acting as a delivery vehicle for the spices (strong 16/20). This came with an excellent coriander chutney. Tandoori lamb chops (£12.50 each) were generous hunks of meat, beautifully tender and cooked pink, marinated with Kashmiri chilli, Greek yoghurt and garam masala before being cooked in the tandoor. They came with a punchy lime and

jaggery chutney. We also sampled an off-menu preview dish of scallops prepared with a marinade of coriander, garlic, ginger, green chilli and baby spinach, the scallops resting on a bed of yellow courgette masala. This was very enjoyable, and the scallop was carefully cooked, though it did not have quite the natural sweetness of a really high-end scallop; the ones used here were fresh but apparently from North America. This was a good dish, though I think it would be even better with a top-quality hand dived Scottish scallop (15/20).

Lamb gosht (£18.50) was a curry that involved diced lamb leg, spinach, green chilli and garam masala. This had vibrant spices, the tender lamb meat working very well with the spinach (16/20). Wild boar vindaloo (£19) is a take on the Goan dish pork vindaloo, here with the pork upgraded to tastier wild boar. Wild boar shoulder was cooked with Toddy vinegar and a blend of Goan spices. This is a dark, rich, brooding dish, the vinegar cutting through the richness of the meat (17/20). I always enjoy the aloo gobi here, the potatoes and cauliflower precisely cooked to preserve their texture, cooked with onion, tomato, carom seeds and mango powder (strong 16/20).

Tarka dal (£7.50) was mixed lentils, mixed spices, garlic, cumin and red chillies. This dish can often be soggy, but here the lentil texture came through well, and again the spicing was clear and vibrant (15/20). A laccha (layered) paratha (£4.50) was really good, a bread that so often is either too dry or is greasy, but here is just right. This is a fine version of a paratha (16/20).

Service was very good and the meal, with plenty of beer to drink, came to £101 a head, but that was for a feast of dishes that easily provided another complete takeaway meal. Sensible ordering would result in a much more modest bill. Koyal continues to provide Indian food of an extremely high standard. The precision of the cooking and the lively, clear spicing makes the most of the dishes, which are at a level barely matched anywhere in London.

Further reviews: 14th May 2026 | 08th Mar 2026 | 04th Dec 2025 | 10th Nov 2025 | 18th Sep 2025 | 12th Aug 2025 | 02nd Mar 2025 | 27th Dec 2024 | 06th Dec 2024 | 06th Oct 2024