Koyal Indian Restaurant & Bar

The story

Koyal Indian Restaurant & Bar in Surbiton

The chef and the kitchen

Koyal Indian Restaurant & Bar in Surbiton brings thirty years of professional craft to a neighbourhood dining room. Chef Nand Kishor Semwal built this regional Indian kitchen after leading Trishna and Gymkhana to Michelin stars, choosing Brighton Road over Mayfair to prove world-class Indian cuisine belongs in a community setting. Raw spices arrive from Uttarakhand and get ground fresh each morning. Every tandoor dish fires over Japanese oak binchotan charcoal, which burns hotter and cleaner than standard fuel to produce a precise char.

Signature plates and rare ingredients

The menu draws directly from the Himalayan foothills, where Jakhiya wild mustard seeds grow above eight thousand feet. Those sharp, nutty kernels temper finishing oils alongside Bhanjeera perilla seed, an omega-rich staple that has anchored local cooking for centuries. Duck and quail seekh kebabs grill over the binchotan fire with apple murabba and green chutney. A twelve-hour lamb shank nihari rests quietly in a clay pot while whole wild tiger prawns sizzle with kasundi and black pepper.

The dining room and its reception

Warm lighting washes across dark wood panels and polished brass fixtures as the dining room settles into its evening rhythm. This steady environment pairs naturally with six-course tasting journeys that move from coastal spice blends to slow-braised Mughlai classics. Critics have noted the consistent technique and sophisticated flavour combinations across multiple visits. The kitchen earned two AA rosettes for culinary excellence within five months of opening, and inspectors added it to the Michelin Guide 2026 for its considered approach to regional Indian cooking.