Of all the dishes on the Koyal a la carte, the Wild Tiger Prawn is the one diners point at when it lands on the next table. Whole, head-on, the prawn arrives black-charred and glossy with kasundi mustard, ginger, and garlic - cooked over binchotan in a way that locks the natural sweetness of the flesh in completely.
Why wild matters
Most prawns served in UK restaurants are farmed. Koyal sources wild tiger prawns specifically because the texture and flavour are not comparable. Wild tigers grow more slowly, in stronger currents, which produces a firmer flesh and a cleaner, brinier flavour. They also tend to be larger - each prawn at Koyal is a single, dramatic portion, sold by the piece on the menu rather than by the plate.
The marinade is built around kasundi, a Bengali mustard paste with a fierce, almost wasabi-like heat. Combined with black pepper, fresh ginger, chilli, and garlic, it cuts through the richness of the prawn and gives the dish a sharp coastal lift you will not find in standard tandoori cooking.
Binchotan does the rest
The cooking is brief - a matter of minutes over the binchotan grill. Because binchotan burns at extremely high temperatures with almost no smoke, the prawn picks up a clean char without absorbing acrid flavours. The shell turns a deep mahogany, the flesh inside stays just translucent at the core. Read more about why we cook with binchotan and what it changes.
How to eat it
With your hands. Crack the head, pull the shell, and use the malabar porotta or naan that comes alongside to mop up the marinade. Pair it with a sharp white from our wine list - a Grenache Gris from Domaine Lafage is a regular by-the-glass pour and was chosen specifically with this dish in mind.
Where it fits in the meal
The Wild Tiger Prawn works as a sharing starter for two, or as the opening course of the tasting menu, where it sets the tone for everything that follows. Either way it is the dish to start with if you are visiting Koyal for the first time. Reserve a table and ask the team to talk you through the catch on the day.
Experience it in Surbiton
Reserve a table at Koyal - 2 AA Rosettes, Brighton Road, Surbiton
