Last night, I had the honour of visiting the new Chokhi Dhani establishment in London, based on Nine Elms Road, almost opposite Embassy Gardens and just where the entrance to the new developments of Battersea Power station starts. Chokhi Dhani or “Fine Village or Good Dwelling,” first opened in India near Jaipur in 1990 as a celebration of traditional Rajasthani cuisine. Since then the original restaurant has expanded to include a huge 22-acre five-star resort and event park, as well as numerous other resorts across the country and now a UK flagship restaurant!
Chokhi Dhani is the brainchild of extraordinary young chef, hotelier and entrepreneur Kriti Vaswani who is following in the footsteps of her father, Gul Vaswani, however the London chef who I met last night is a gentleman named Vishnu Natarajan who catered for and personalised the menu ever so slightly to cater for two fully plant-based humans.
Although the entrance to the two story restaurant is on the main road, the building actually runs through to to the River Thames. We were seated on the first floor at the back with an incredible view of the river and the docks. A piece of real estate worthy of the restaurant itself, for sure.
Dishes include street food and a la carte, and personal favourites for me included the Bhaarwan Chilli and Ragada along with a bespoke potato dish created from the tasting menu and not to forget the only restaurant I have ever experienced Matcha Naan in, delicious.
I also instantly fell in love with the interior which was as regal as any Rajasthani palace that you could imagine – some details captured in the images above and below. The only thing I would recommend editing or changing is the restaurant’s use of plastic straws to paper ones for the environment. Chokhi Dhani’s downstairs lounge and bar is also the place to enjoy a programme of entertainment including weekly performances from Magic Junior which you can learn more about (and reserve) on the website: www.chokhidhani.co.uk
