Where Tradition Meets Craft

Step inside Koyal and the mood shifts immediately - warm lighting across dark wood and brass, the gentle smoke of binchotan charcoal, and the hum of a dining room that has found its rhythm.

The kitchen is led by Chef Nand Kishor Semwal, whose three decades of craft have shaped some of the most important Indian restaurants in Britain. He earned a Michelin star at Trishna in 2012, another at Gymkhana in 2013, and the restaurant went on to be named National Restaurant of the Year in 2014.

8,000ft+

Himalayan Ingredients

Rare spices like Jakhiya wild mustard and Bhanjeera perilla seed, sourced from the high-altitude kitchens of Uttarakhand.

Binchotan

Charcoal Tandoor

Every tandoor dish is fired over Japanese oak charcoal that burns hotter and cleaner, intensifying flavour without masking it.

5 Months

2 AA Rosettes 2025 & 2026

Awarded 2 AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence within five months of opening - a recognition rarely given so quickly.

From the Kitchen

Signature dishes that tell the story of India's regional traditions

Quail & Duck Seekh Kebab

Duck and quail mince grilled over binchotan, apple murabba and green chutney.

Lamb Shank Nihari

Slow-cooked for 12 hours with over 20 spices. A royal Mughlai dish perfected over decades.

Jakhiya Prawns

Tiger prawns tempered with wild Himalayan mustard seeds - an ingredient found only at altitude.

Tandoori Pineapple

Charred in the tandoor, glazed with jaggery and star anise. Served with coconut rabdi.

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The Chef

Chef Nand Kishor Semwal

Chef Nand Kishor Semwal's career spans thirty years and two of London's most celebrated Indian kitchens. At Trishna in Marylebone, he led the kitchen to a Michelin star in 2012, redefining coastal Indian cooking for a discerning London audience. A year later, he took the helm at Gymkhana in Mayfair, where the restaurant earned a Michelin star within six months of opening and was named National Restaurant of the Year in 2014 - Gymkhana has since gone on to hold two Michelin stars, and his time there is regarded as foundational to its success.

In 2016, he co-founded Dastaan in Epsom - a deliberate move away from the West End to prove that world-class Indian cooking could thrive in a neighbourhood setting. Dastaan was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, validating the approach and building a loyal following that extends far beyond Surrey.

At Koyal, he returns to the ingredients of his childhood in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand. Jakhiya, a wild mustard found at over 8,000 feet. Bhanjeera, a perilla seed rich in omega-3 that has nourished Himalayan communities for centuries. Raw spices ground fresh each morning. Every dish from the tandoor is fired over binchotan charcoal - the building blocks of a kitchen that honours where he began while pushing the craft forward.

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