The Chourangi Philosophy: Give London Another Indian Story
Best Indian Restaurant in London: Why Chourangi Offers a Different Taste of India
When people search for the best Indian restaurant in London, they are faced with hundreds of choices.
But there is a difference between finding another place for Indian food and discovering a restaurant that introduces you to a completely different side of Indian cuisine.
At Chourangi, near Oxford Street and Marble Arch, the focus is not on representing all of India on one menu. Instead, it explores one particular culinary world: Calcutta.
And that distinction is what makes the restaurant worth discovering.
Indian Cuisine Is Not One Cuisine
One of the easiest mistakes to make when talking about Indian food is treating it as a single culinary tradition.
India’s food culture changes dramatically from one region to another. The spices, cooking techniques, ingredients and even the idea of what constitutes comfort food can be completely different.
Calcutta is a particularly fascinating example.
Its food culture developed through centuries of cultural exchange, with influences associated with Bengali traditions alongside European, Mughal and Chinese influences. Chourangi’s menu takes inspiration from this layered history rather than reducing Indian cuisine to familiar restaurant staples.
That means a meal at Chourangi can feel recognisably Indian while still being unfamiliar.
And that is precisely the point.
The Chourangi Philosophy: Give London Another Indian Story
Chourangi opened in London in October 2021 with a specific ambition: to introduce the lesser-known flavours of Calcutta to an international audience.
Its name comes from Chowringhee, the historic Calcutta neighbourhood that inspired the restaurant’s identity.
The restaurant describes its food as a contemporary interpretation of dishes associated with Calcutta, drawing on the city’s people, culture and culinary traditions.
Rather than simply reproducing traditional recipes, the kitchen works with the flavours and techniques as a starting point.
The result is a menu where mustard, Bengali five-spice, coconut, cardamom and other regional ingredients can appear alongside modern presentations and British produce.
The Restaurateur Behind the Concept
There is another reason the Chourangi story is unusual.
The restaurant was created by Anjan Chatterjee, a chef-turned-restaurateur with a career spanning hospitality, marketing and restaurant entrepreneurship.
According to his Wikipedia biography, Chatterjee studied hotel management at the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in Kolkata before beginning his professional career with the Taj Group of Hotels in Mumbai. He subsequently worked in marketing with ABP Group and founded his own advertising agency.
His move into restaurants began in 1992 with Only Fish, which later became Oh! Calcutta.
In 1995, he launched Mainland China, eventually building a much larger restaurant portfolio through Speciality Restaurants Limited.
This background matters because Chourangi is not simply a restaurant named after Calcutta.
It is an attempt by an experienced Indian restaurateur to take a particular part of India’s culinary identity and present it to a London audience.
What Makes Calcutta Food Different?
The easiest way to understand Chourangi is to forget the idea that Indian food has to revolve around heavy sauces and familiar curry-house dishes.
Calcutta’s culinary identity has its own vocabulary.
Mustard is important.
Fish has a prominent place.
Bengali five-spice, known as panch phoron, brings its own aromatic character.
Potato in biryani is not an accident — it is part of the Calcutta biryani tradition.
And dishes such as Kosha Mangsho, Doi Maach, Chingri Malai Curry and Kolkata Fish Fry tell stories that extend far beyond a standard Indian restaurant menu. Chourangi’s current menu includes these and other regional dishes.
From Kolkata Fish Fry to Calcutta Biryani
For a first visit, exploring the menu through individual dishes can be more rewarding than simply ordering the most familiar Indian favourites.
Kolkata Fish Fry
A classic associated with Kolkata’s food culture, the fish fry offers a glimpse into the city’s distinctive snack and street-food traditions.
At Chourangi, the dish uses bhetki fillet with mustard oil and kasundi, bringing together two ingredients strongly associated with Bengali flavours.
Kosha Mangsho
Kosha Mangsho is slow-cooked mutton prepared with Bengali five-spice.
The cooking process creates a concentrated, deeply flavoured dish rather than a light curry.
It is one of the dishes that demonstrates why Bengali food deserves to be considered on its own terms.
Chingri Malai Curry
Tiger prawns, coconut and gentle spice create a very different profile from the richer tomato-based curries that many London diners associate with Indian food.
It offers a taste of Bengal’s relationship with seafood and coconut.
Calcutta Biryani
Perhaps the easiest conversation starter is the potato.
Calcutta biryani is known for including potato alongside meat, fragrant rice and spices.
Chourangi’s menu includes Calcutta Chicken Biryani with potato, boiled egg and saffron rice.
For someone who thinks they already know Indian biryani, this can be an entirely different experience.
An Indian Restaurant for Curious London Diners
The most interesting reason to visit Chourangi is not necessarily that you already love Bengali food.
It may be the opposite.
You may be someone who has eaten Indian food across London but has never explored Calcutta cuisine properly.
You may know butter chicken and naan but have never tried Kosha Mangsho.
You may have eaten biryani dozens of times but never experienced the Calcutta style.
Or you may simply want a restaurant where the menu gives you something to talk about after the meal.
That is where Chourangi’s regional approach becomes significant.
A Dining Room Inspired by Calcutta
The experience extends beyond the plate.
Chourangi’s approximately 2,900-square-foot space incorporates design elements inspired by Calcutta, including rattan and teak-stained furniture, Indian limestone and references to the city’s heritage clubs and Coffee House. The restaurant says the design was developed by Design LSM.
This creates a connection between the restaurant’s surroundings and its food.
You are not simply eating a Bengali-inspired dish in a generic dining room.
The restaurant is attempting to build a complete interpretation of Calcutta — through food, architecture, atmosphere and storytelling.
Why Location Matters
Chourangi is located at 3 Old Quebec Street, London W1H 7AF, close to Oxford Street and Oxford Circus.
For visitors exploring Central London, this makes it particularly convenient for combining an Indian dining experience with a day around Oxford Street, Marble Arch and the West End.
The location also reinforces an interesting contrast:
Calcutta’s culinary heritage, presented in the centre of London.
That is the essence of the Chourangi proposition.
The Best Indian Restaurant in London May Be the One You Haven’t Discovered Yet
There is no single definition of the “best” Indian restaurant in London.
For some diners, it may mean traditional cooking. For others, fine dining. For others, regional authenticity, atmosphere, innovation or discovering something completely unfamiliar.
Chourangi approaches the question differently.
It asks what happens when you take one of India’s richest regional food cultures and give it a dedicated home in London.
With Anjan Chatterjee’s decades of experience in Indian hospitality behind the concept, and a menu inspired by the culinary history of Calcutta, Chourangi offers diners an opportunity to explore a side of Indian cuisine that is still unfamiliar to many Londoners.
So if your idea of finding the best Indian restaurant in London means discovering a memorable regional dining experience rather than simply ordering another familiar curry, Chourangi is a place worth putting on your London food list.
Discover Chourangi
Chourangi
3 Old Quebec Street
London W1H 7AF
Explore the flavours of Calcutta in the heart of London — from Kolkata Fish Fry and Kosha Mangsho to Calcutta Biryani and Chingri Malai Curry.
Leave a Reply