London-Bound Rajasthani Restaurant Group Vows to ‘Change the Way We View Indian Food’

The Indian restaurant brand, Chokhi Dhani, will open its first London restaurant in Battersea, south London, in March. The announcement says that “with an aspiration to serve not merely food, but culinary art that pleases the taste buds and touches the soul,” Chokhi Dhani “will change the way we view Indian food.”

Within the space on Riverside Walk — a short distance from the new Battersea Power Station development on the south side of the River Thames — the ground floor will see an “all-encompassing offering” through a casual street food concept, whereas “a regal ambience” upstairs will be achieved by “on aristocratic luxury at its most seductive.”

The restaurant aims to “showcase the fine food, vibrant atmosphere and exceptional service that entrances all who visit its venues in Rajasthan — but with a contemporary twist to reflect its position in arguably the world’s most cosmopolitan capital.”

In Chokhi Dhani London, chef, hotelier and entrepreneur Kriti Vaswani will evolve the brand created by her father, Gul Vaswani. (Gul launched the first Chokhi Dhani venue in Jaipur, Rajasthan in 1990.)

The London debut has appointed head chef Vishnu Natarajan who worked at Carom in Soho. He will work alongside sous chef Bhagwan Singh, “an expert on Rajasthani cuisine,” who moves from Cinnamon Culture in Bromley. That duo will be supported by senior sous chef Mohammed Naseem Qureshi, recently of Bombay Bustle in Mayfair and Lotus, and pastry chef Rakesh Sharma (Chutney Mary and Mint Leaf.)

General manager Dan Jelensek moves from recently Michelin-starred and recently closed, Vineet Bhatia London.

Other notable high-profile south Asian restaurant groups who have recently moved into London include Indian Accent on Albermarle Street in Mayfair, and the announcement of Farzi Cafe earlier this month. The Leela group, which owns Jamavar, opened Bombay Bustle last year, though its head chef Rohit Ghai confirmed he will leave the company at the end of this month. Ghai is yet to confirm where he will go, though Eater London understands he will remain in London.