Order from the a la carte at Koyal and you will eat very well. But if you want to understand what Chef Nand Kishor is actually doing in our Surbiton kitchen, the answer is the tasting menu. Seven courses, paced over a relaxed two hours, drawn from four distinct culinary regions of India - and the closest thing to a guided tour of regional Indian cooking you will find anywhere in Surrey.
The structure
The menu is paced like a classical European tasting - light to heavy, sharp to rich, savoury to sweet - but every course has a clear regional anchor. You might open with a Bengali kasundi prawn, move into a Hyderabadi paneer, work through a Mughlai lamb course from the north, and finish on a south Indian dessert. The structure is intentional: each course is meant to recalibrate your palate before the next.
What you actually eat
Courses change seasonally, but recent menus have included:
- Grilled wild tiger prawn with kasundi mustard, finished over binchotan
- Sweet potato and kale chaat with tangy yoghurt and pomegranate
- Quail and duck seekh kebab with apple murabba
- Lamb shank slow-cooked in nihari masala for twelve hours
- Muntjac dum biryani with saffron and fried onions
- Masala chai brûlée - Indian-spiced tea custard with crunchy caramel
Some of these dishes you can read about individually - the wild tiger prawns, the lamb shank nihari, the masala chai brûlée - each has its own backstory.
Wine pairings
A paired wine flight is available as an add-on and is the recommended way to do the menu. Our sommelier has built a list specifically around Indian flavours - high-acidity whites for the seafood courses, Grenache and Pinot for the lamb, off-dry Rieslings to balance the heat. Read more about how we approach pairing wines with Indian food.
Who it is for
The tasting menu works for first-time visitors who want to understand the kitchen's range, for couples on a date night in Surbiton, and for groups of three or four who want a shared experience. It is also the format the kitchen enjoys cooking most.
Booking
The tasting menu is available Tuesday through Sunday evenings. We recommend booking at least a week in advance for weekends. Reserve a table or browse the full tasting menu for the latest courses.
Experience it in Surbiton
Reserve a table at Koyal - 2 AA Rosettes, Brighton Road, Surbiton
