Last Updated on March 24, 2025
Superb Indian Food in a Convivial Setting at Chook Chook
4.8 out of 5.0 stars
What’s a ‘Railway Kitchen’? Celebrating the glamour and decadence of the great train journeys of India, the interior of Chook Chook has the feel of a vintage railway buffet car, with dark wood, warm lighting, cosy booths and comfortable banquettes. The origin of the railway kitchen dates back to the British colonial era when rail travel was a significant part of the Indian subcontinent. Over time, railway catering evolved to reflect India’s vast culinary diversity, offering regional flavours across different routes, sometimes served in dining cars on the train, other dishes provided by streetfood vendors who would wait at the stations and offer light refreshments and snacks to the passengers.
Playing on that heritage of hospitality, Chook Chook is a restaurant with a welcoming conviviality, one where you will immediately feel at home and which is rightly popular. On a midweek evening, this Putney neighbourhood restaurant was packed with contented diners and a steady stream of takeaway orders for those lucky enough to live in the catchment area.
We started our meal with crisp papadum and homemade chutneys, while we negotiated the menu packed with everything from street food style tasters to complex curries and stews.
We loved the dahi (yoghurt) sevpuri, crispy puffy puri balls stuffed with spicy potatoes and topped with yoghurt, chutney, sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) and morsels of cress. From the section of the menu called Chaat Junction, dahi sevpuri is a traditional street food from Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Chook Chook has an extensive list of starters – twenty-four in total with ten vegetarian options and we were delighted to accept the recommendation from the restaurant for garlic chilli prawns and Awadhi lamb chops.
The prawns were plump, juicy beasts in a fiery sauce. Prettily served in a copper pan with peppers and spring onions, despite being a seafood option, this was a substantial starter.
My companion’s lamb chops were just as satisfying. Awadhi cuisine originates from the Lucknow region of India and is known for it’s rich, royal heritage using slow-cooked methods and aromatic spices. Superbly tender and fragrant, these chops had been marinated in ginger, garlic, yoghurt, chillies and coriander, then cooked in a clay oven to perfection.
We learnt that the seafood moilee, my choice of main course, originates from Kerala in Southern India – a fragrant stew of fish and prawns tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds and cooked in coconut milk. The restaurant owner, Sahil Minocha, told us that his chef came from Quilon, the Michelin-starred Southern Indian restaurant attached to Taj St James’s. An elegant and delicate dish it could just as easily have been on the menu there.
By comparison, my companion’s Railway chicken curry was just what you’d expect from the name – rustic, luscious and utterly delicious. Railway chicken curry is a historic and flavourful dish that dates back to the colonial era of India, served in railway dining cars during British rule. It was originally prepared for British officers travelling on long train journeys and was designed to be both comforting and long-lasting.
Simple side dishes were all we needed. A portion of home style, creamy, house black daal was the perfect foil for the spicy railway curry. Steamed basmati rice and naan ideal to mop up the fragrant gravies. My companion, who lives locally, was already planning a return visit.
The dessert menu is equally attractive we enjoyed a bowl of gajar ka halwa, the traditional north Indian dessert made with grated carrots, milk and ghee – for the uninitiated a surprising bowl of orange comfort, and a plate of unexpectedly light and extremely moreish, chocolate samosas served with bourbon vanilla ice cream.
To wash everything down we enjoyed a bottle of New Zealand Rongopai Sauvignon Blanc – a snip at £32. Wines at Chook Chook start at £24 a bottle and they also have a good cocktail list with some great classics with a twist (Hazelnut Wali Old Fashioned or Rasmalai Martini (with rose liquer, cardomom and saffron for example).
We loved the ambience at Chook Chook. Notable details included the beautiful copper tableware which is imported from India and the railway map on the wall. Service was excellent, friendly and welcoming without being in the least oppressive – and the pricing was reasonable with curries priced between £10 and £13. This is somewhere you could afford to enjoy. We’ve learnt that for 2025, Chook Chook has introduced a brand-new lunch menu, along with a selection of milder children’s dishes, so the whole family can enjoy a ‘Curry Night’—or even a ‘Curry Lunch’—together. I just wish there was a train that took me directly to their doorstep!
Chook Chook
137 Lower Richmond Rd.,
Putney
London
SW15 1EZ
020 8789 3100
