A vibrant Marylebone restaurant celebrating India’s great train journeys, with regional dishes from Mumbai pav bhaji to Keralan seafood moilee, a playful chocolate samosa, and a standout gin menu.
The Ambience
Step aboard at Chook Chook and the scent of smoky tandoor spice, crushed coriander seeds, and citrusy gin botanicals drifts through the air like a promise. This is a dining room that celebrates the romance of India’s great train journeys, charting a route from Mumbai street corners to the coconut groves of Kerala. Warm lighting and subtle railway-inspired touches make it feel timeless and nostalgic. It’s the kind of place where you could just as easily linger over cocktails as gather the family for a leisurely lunch.
The Food
The journey begins with cocktails, where the gin and tonic infusions menu deserves its own departure board. Botanical garnishes, bay leaves, cucumber and pink peppercorns add aromatic lift and visual theatre to the Udaipur, setting a confident tone for the plates to follow.
Tandoori prawns arrive with crisp edges and tender flesh, brightened by a citrusy hit. Chilli paneer delivers well-spiced flavour, though a touch more crispness wouldn’t go amiss, while lamb chops offer deep seasoning and a good char, even if they lean a little firm.
Among the mains, the railway chicken curry pays faithful homage to its namesake, but the standout is the curry leaf chicken wings, spicy, moreish, and perfumed with a verdant glow that begs for another spoonful. The tarka dal is a comfort blanket in a bowl: rich, creamy, and crowned with crispy onions and fresh coriander. Butter chicken brings a sweeter, creamier note, especially satisfying alongside the rice.
Dessert keeps the playfulness rolling with a chocolate samosa, crisp pastry yielding to molten chocolate, a sweet echo of its savoury cousin.
The Verdict
Chook Chook offers a vibrant itinerary through India’s regional flavours, with enough variety to please purists, adventurers, and even the youngest passengers. A few textures could be more precise, but the high points, from the gin menu to that unforgettable curry leaf chicken, make this a trip worth taking again.
The Details
Address: 137 Lower Richmond Rd., London SW15 1EZ
Phone: 020 8789 3100
Website: chookchook.uk
Notable: New 2025 lunch menu and milder children’s dishes for family-friendly curry nights (or lunches).