Tamil Nadu & regional Indian cuisine at the Grand Cholan, Docklands

Something to look forward to when restaurants reopen – Tamil Nadu cuisine at the Grand Cholan, located in London Docklands.

London’s Grand Cholan opened in September 2020 and like others in the hospitality industry are doing their upmost to keep afloat.

The restaurant currently boasts a variety of regional dishes from across South and North India – that include kotthu Parrota, Dosa, Biriyani and Tandoor dishes.

They are launching a new food experience that taps into the owner and chefs vast and unique knowledge of Tamil Nadu cuisine. It will be the first “Tamil Nadu” style Banana leaf experience in London – soon to be available for dine-in on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Non-veg (meat & seafood) and pure vegetarian options are available.

The Banana Leaf meat and seafood spread we had at a pre-launch tasting consisted of the items below. The servings were very generous and reminded me of the wonderful dishes I enjoyed in Chennai, Pondicherry, Chettinad and Madurai.

Madras Chicken Fry

Fish Fry

Lamb Varuval
Okra / Bhindi Poriyal

Potato Varai

Chicken Biriyani

Poratta

Chicken Chettinad Curry

Egg Masala

Pickle

Raita

Papadums

Sweet Payasam

Plain rice available if requested

The Grand Cholan is named after the great Tamil king – “Raja Raja Cholan” who ruled over Southern India and whose seafaring empire stretched to Sri Lanka and the Malay peninsular present day Malaysia and Singapore.

The Cholan empire ruled for several centuries, trading with the Romans, Greeks, Arabs and Chinese and their legacy still impacts politics and culture across the Indian Ocean.

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