Chef Dipna Anand Will Launch Her First Solo Restaurant in Chelsea

Chef Dipna Anand will open her first solo venture — called Dip in Brilliant — in Chelsea, west London later this month. The Caterer reports that the “informal, 70-cover restaurant” will open on 20 February and will be in the same Punjabi-style that her family’s restaurant, the 220-cover Brilliant in Southall, is known for.

The style of service will be mainly orientated around thali — a traditional round metal platter on which a selection of curries, rice, breads and chutneys sit side-by-side. The menu — “a condensed version of the Brilliant menu” — will also feature dishes such as chicken tikka masala, papri chaat, tandoori mixed grill and biryanis.

“Indian food and culture is all about sharing and togetherness and that’s what the restaurant is about,” Anand told The Caterer. “It’s proper Punjabi cooking that comes from the heart. We want to test how we do in central London.” The Caterer says that Anand is considering opening more central London restaurants, depending on the reception of the Chelsea site.

Anand’s decision to go solo follows her appointment, announced in November, as one of the chefs in charge of the corporate hospitality catering at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium

Brilliant, which first opened as a 30-cover restaurant on Western Road in Southall in 1975, has appeared in Gordon Ramsay’s Best on Channel 4 and counts Prince Charles and actor Kevin Costner among its well-known patrons.

• Exclusive: Dipna Anand to open first solo restaurant in Chelsea [The Caterer]