Putney has always felt to me like one of those places people live when they want to be in London without having to actually be part of the day-to-day rat race. It’s got the river, it’s got the rowing, it’s got pubs. You’ve got the Putney Arts Theatre for all your am-dram needs, and a market that turns up like a hungover uncle every weekend.
But when it comes to proper neighbourhood restaurants – the kind that don’t involve a Deliveroo rider turning up with food the temperature of pond water – you’re a bit stumped.
And then along comes Chook Chook. Named, adorably, after the noise that Indian’s to articulate a passing train, which for them is not toot toot or clickety-clack but chook chook.
The place celebrates the railway journeys of India and is done out like a posh train carriage. Think wood panelling, dark and moody, with printed route maps of the Maharaja Express, which I discovered is basically the Orient Express with way better food and a much smaller Poirot risk. The colour palette is pure Raj nostalgia – racing green and colonial blood red – like an old Bentley mated with a curry house and made beautiful babies.
The menu reads like the Indian subcontinent took over the Eurostar. There’s a chaat junction (LOVE that), starters, curries, biryanis, and a vegan section so no one feels left out at dinner except those of us who like butter. I was very excited to hop abord the food train!
We kicked off with poppadoms. Which I normally don’t bother writing about, but these were seeded. SEED. ED. Which means crunchy, nutty, a bit oily in the best way. The mango chutney was bright and sweet like a Bollywood dance number, the coriander one green enough to suggest actual leaves were harmed in the making of it.
Then came the Delhi Papi Chaat, which is a plate of crispy little flour bombs topped with chickpeas, potato, yoghurt, mint, tamarind and magic. The textures! The tang! Like eating seven snacks at once. It was total pre-dinner joy.
The garlic and chili prawns; massive, absolutely huge. Soy, chili, spring onion, peppers – it’s Indo-Chinese, which basically means it’s Chinese food that tastes better because it’s been hanging out with Indian food and picking up good habits.
A Railway Chicken Curry? Oh my. This is the classic on-the-go version of a Thali, and has recently become something of a thing in London’s Indian restaurants. Rustic tomato and onion merges perfectly with a lightly spiced and based on the curries that originates in the colonial era when in the early 1900’s, the chefs used to cook on the railways during long journeys on the trains.
Their lamb chops arrived sizzling. They were soft, seasoned, delicious, but thinner than I’d like, a bit plumper and they would have been a winner.
The prawn biryani hadgiant prawns again, because someone in that kitchen clearly loves a crustacean with presence, nestled in rice that was slightly shorter than the long, wafty basmati I usually expect—but who cares? It was fragrant, warm, and gone in sixty seconds.
Drinks? Cobra and Malabar beer on tap—because no one’s drinking a Negroni here unless they’re trying too hard – and a wine list that keeps it simple, like it knows its place.
Service was spot on. Sahil and Dave were everything you want – warm, charming, informed, and seemingly unfazed by explaining the history and ingredients of every dish.
In conclusion: Chook Chook is Putney’s answer to the great British curry house, only with actual ambition, quality ingredients, and a story to tell. It’s not trying to be edgy or Instagrammable – it just wants to feed you properly and send you home happy. And in that, it succeeds gloriously.
Chook Chook, 137 Lower Richmond Rd, London SW15 1EZ – Chook Chook – 020 8789 3100
Opening hours: Monday-Thursday 16:00-22:30; Fridays 16:00-23:00; Saturdays 12:00-23:00; Sundays and Bank Holiday 12:00-22:00
Related post: Restaurant review: Bébé Bob, Soho