Restaurant Review | Copper Chimney, Contemporary Indian Restaurant in London

Copper Chimney, founded by JK Kapur in 1972 in Mumbai (what was then known as Bombay), serves a delectable medley of distinctive North Indian dishes to create a unique dining experience. Over the last 50 years, Copper Chimney has welcomed thousands of guests across their restaurants located in India, Kuwait and UAE. 

In October 2019, they opened their first restaurant in the UK in Shepherds Bush, London. Unfortunately, the restaurant had to be shut temporarily due to COVID but they re-opened in May 2021 with reinforced hygiene and safety measures for staff and guests to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for all.

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As you walk into the restaurant, your eyes are drawn to the decor which is vibrant, colourful and a reflection of Indian flavours and culture. 

The ambience is warm and inviting and the restaurant has an open kitchen where you can see the 'Ustads' or Master Chefs of Copper Chimney at work. Every dish is made from scratch using tested techniques and fresh ingredients under the supervision of Head Chef Chintamani Mamgain.

On our arrival, we were greeted by a member of the staff who showed us to our table and left us to browse the menu.

We started off with a couple of selections from the Starters menu - Chandni Chowk Chaat and Okra Kurkure.

Chandni Chowk Chaat was a fun take on the popular North Indian street food - chaat. Tangy chickpeas, spiced potatoes and fresh yoghurt were layered with a sweet and spicy chutney, garnished with pomegranate and mint leaves and served in a glass! The presentation was unique but the taste and texture were authentic. It was a blend of mouth-watering textures and flavours.

Although there were a few other vegetarian starters to choose from, we picked Okra Kurkure as the crispy starter sounded very enticing. According to a member of the staff, Okra Kurkure is quite popular among their guests and having sampled it, I can now understand why. Thinly sliced ladies' fingers (okra) were seasoned with a hot and tangy spice mix and served crisp. It was fantastic! Kurkure is a crunchy commercial snack in India and this Okra version is a good adaptation of that. It had a subtle taste of ladies' fingers and the spice mix set the taste buds tingling.

For the mains, we ordered Paneer Masala and Dal Maharaja which we enjoyed with three types of bread - Butter Naan, Baluchi Naan and Multigrain Chura Paratha.

Paneer Masala was delicious. Indian cottage cheese (paneer) simmered in a buttery, tomato
gravy, this curry is a Copper Chimney speciality and is made using a recipe from the original 1972 menu!

Dal Maharaja, another Cooper Chimney original, was also fantastic. Whole black lentils, tomatoes and spices are slow-cooked for hours and then finished with a dollop of desi ghee. Creamy, luscious, rich and packed full of flavour this was a deliciously comforting dish.

Both the Butter Naan and the Baluchi Naan were good but a special mention to the Baluchi Naan which is a leavened tandoor-cooked naan stuffed with Mawa (coagulated milk solids) and topped with dates and apricot. This sweet and fruity apricot naan complemented the classic Dal Maharaja perfectly.

The Multigrain Chura Paratha was also cooked to perfection. It is a layered Indian flatbread baked to crispness in the tandoor. The outer layers were crispy while the inner ones were soft, which is how a layered paratha has to be. And it was sprinkled with chaat masala giving it just a bit more kick. 

The drinks menu had a good selection of cocktails, wines and spirits but we opted for the non-alcoholic Punjabi Salted Chaas. Chaas is a popular summer drink in India made with yoghurt. This Punjabi version was seasoned with rock salt and roasted cumin and was the perfect accompaniment to our meal.

To end what was a delicious meal, we ordered Gajar Pistachio Crumble and Gulab Jamun, both very popular Indian desserts. The Gulab Jamun was divine. Fried balls of dough made from milk solids are soaked in an aromatic rose scented sugar syrup. The texture was perfect as was the taste.

The Gajar Pistachio Crumble is a slow-cooked carrot pudding (gajar halwa) with cardamom and sweetened milk layered with chopped pistachio and praline crumble. The decadent dessert was served with Pistachio kulfi. Great combination.

Overall, we enjoyed our leisurely lunch at Copper Chimney and will definitely be back for more. Located in the Southern Terrace in Westfield London, the restaurant is perfect for fuelling yourself after a day of shopping or before heading off to catch a cinema screening at Vue Westfield. I think it is a great hangout spot for locals and tourists alike due to its location.

Copper Chimney | Southern Terrace, Westfield London, Shepherds Bush, London W12 7GA
Phone | 020 8059 4439
Email | [email protected]

The restaurant is open from 12noon to 10 pm, Sunday to Thursday and from 12noon to 11 pm on Fridays & Saturdays. For more information, visit www.copperchimney.uk