Chai Ki

We were looking around for places to go for dinner. We heard that Indian in London is very good and thought we would check it out. When you go in, you have to choose between two menus… Traditional Indian and Indo-​Asian menu. We want for the Indo-​Asian menu… Had the chicken tikka naan, burnt chili paneer (spicy), and a chicken curry dish. Everything was very good… Different from what I’ve had in the US. Especially the burnt chili paneer… It was so good… That even when we our mouths were burning, we kept on eating it. They also have it with chicken instead of paneer. Service was great. Ambiance was upscale. We would come back again next time we are in the area.

Just stopped off late afternoon here to grab a quick tea and do some work. The staff were a little on the officious side, coming over every few minutes or so, even while I was still drinking my tea and had said several times I didn’t need anything else. The chai was a bit spicier than I usually like it too. That said, the ambience was nice and the food menu looked good. I’ll have to come back another time to try it all.

Solid Indian small plates fusion place in Canary Wharf which is an otherwise chain resto filled island — came here with friend for weeknight dinner and seated right away. We had butter chicken, the aubergine, paneer and kulfi ice cream. Everything was solid, plated beautifully and came very very quickly which was nice and maybe a bit concerning. The only thing that distracted me abt the food was this green/​black herb that was in all the food but gave it a bitter taste which was not my fave. The garlic naan was also a bit overdone but overall good food option in CW

My friends and I started the night off with a reservation in the Chai Ki (Toddy Shop Bar), and we immediately noticed the dim lighting and pleasant atmosphere. After indulging in a bottle of white wine and some naan bread, we were able to get a table at the main restaurant. The food was delicious and well made and the service was decent. I wouldn’t say the same about the service at the bar, as one waitress forgot to let us know that a table was ready for us in the restaurant. Overall, I had a good experience and would recommend this place. Good vegetarian Indian options, too!

modern Indian food
Atmosphere is good
Very tasty
Price is reasonable although portion is a bit small
Overall good place to go around canary wharf

I was skeptical about the food but after eating here, I think it’s only fair for me to say that I’m wrong. The curry chicken was amazing so was the paratha. I guess the type of curry they serve err on the side of South Indian curry, but don’t be put off by it, give it a go and I think you might like having coconut cream in your curry now.
It wasn’t the cheapest place for the portion of food that it was serving, so I would say this is a slightly more expensive place to eat at. The atmosphere was just right, busy but quiet enough to still have a chat (I was in at lunch time peak hour!). If you’re going at lunch time, it’s likely that you’ll be sitting on a bar stool with canteen style table, it’s good but I suppose if you really wanted the standard sitting style they wouldn’t mind setting up something for you.
I hope when you try out Chai Ki, you’ll be like me; murmuring in my heart «chai ki, you’re amazing!» :)

Recently there has been an uprise of more fancy Indian restaurants, breaking away from the association of it being a cheap date option and therefore introducing modern and beautiful venues. Chai Ki is one of them. It’s a nice looking restaurant with its high ceiling and spacious dining area although very generic looking with nothing associating with the cuisine. If you were to blindly walk in you would have never guessed what cuisine they were serving. It is still very quiet being in the new Crossrail Place that is not really in use yet so not many people have a reason to just venture in. But what differs Chai Ki from the other Indian restaurant is that they serve more exotic and unusual dishes that you might not find at your local curry house. But with all these added luxuries there is always a price to pay. So was it worth it?
Bhel Puri.
A fantastic colourful dish with a lovely mix of texture. It had bursting juicy pomegranates, crispy rice and softer textures of potato and onions all coated in lovely mild spices. Quite moreish if you’re one to enjoy a bite.
Shakarkandi Chaat
It looked amazing but sadly they was very disappointing. The sweet potatoes were undercooked meaning the sweetness was very much masked. Of course this affected its texture, missing out on the soft melting sweet consistency that I love. It was bland and under seasoned too and the yogurt did not do it any justice.
Dahi Puri
This was like a piece of creative art in my mouth. I very much enjoyed the delicate semolina shells slowly collapsing into my mouth releasing a lovely creamy sensation of sweet yogurt with a slight citrusy zing from the tamarind. Delicious!
Haggis keema naan
Impressive creativity to celebrate burns night. Naan stuffed with lovely spiced lamb keema, beef and lamb haggis. The bread was doughy and fragrant with many complex flavours packed in there. The raita helped add some creaminess and cool down the heat. The turnip pickle didn’t pair well with the naan but was lovely on its own to snack on.
Duck porridge
This duck dish isn’t for everyone due to its thick gloopy rough texture resembling just like it says, porridge but more grainy and savoury, a bit like houmous. It was very filling being quite dense but being a person who loves houmous, I very much enjoyed it, scooping it up with the brioche or even to eat it on its own with a spoon. The ingredients and flavours were very interesting, although the flavours weren’t strong, you do get the taste of the unusual mix of rose water, cracked wheat cardamom and spices.
Konkan chicken
This was a very mild and creamy dish. Probably a dish for those who can’t handle their spice as it’s quite a sweet curry. It lacked depth and spices. The flavour was just too simple and a dish I could find nearly in any local curry house. It was a nice dish to have overall, but not outstanding or memorable.
Burnt ginger rice
On the side of all the mains we ordered the burnt ginger rice. Now this was lovely. The rice was moist and al dente. It was almost like I could taste the spices wrapped round each grain. The spices were light but just enough to give that extra kick of flavour when you enjoyed it with your curries and other mains.
Dhal fry
This came generously and thick in texture. Lovely notes of mild spices and the lentils cooked till soft and almost creamy. I could have eaten this alone with rice.
Masala fries
The most addictive fries you’re ever going to find. The fries were so crisp and light they were almost hollow. The seasoning was light but flavourful allowing you to keep picking on them until they’re all gone. They were not greasy or sickly. We even spotted a couple with a bowl each.
We did very much enjoyed our experience at Chai Ki. Service was a hit and miss depending on who is serving you. We had one waiter who kept rushing us and taking the menu off us before we had even finishing ordering. The other waiter was more patient and friendly, assisting us with a smile.
But there’s something important missing at Chai Ki, a lack of charm and character. It’s like they half heartedly open this restaurant, serving some authentic and creative dishes but catering for the Western tastebuds with sweeter and milder flavours and not allowing us to enjoy the full experience of Indian cuisine. With more successful branches doing the similar thing but better, like Dishroom that is also more wallet friendly, I rather go there.

What a lovely Indian restaurant!?! We headed here for a team dinner after a long day of work and it did not disappoint. All of the food was good with some exceptional standouts. The coconut shrimp curry main was absolutely amazing and I would have been happy with that as my entire meal. Because we were a group of 8, we shared most of the plates. The only disappointment of the evening was the fried rice which wasn’t nearly as tasty as I had hoped for.
Definitely worth a repeat visit.

Quick breakfast. Not crowded at this time of day. Good for quick meal. Friendly service and good ambiance. The food just wasn’t very good, nor was the masala tea.

The tea is pretty much like the one served at Roti Chai.
After all it is owned by the same owner.
It is surprisingly huge. But what struck me was the fact that there was a sign in the bar written Toddy in English and «Kall-​eh» in Malayalam. After reading the owner Rohit Chugh’s interview about the opening of this restaurant, I understood that his inspiration for the dishes in this one was Malabar toddy shops and the food served around there.
I must admit the ambiance is really good. Great place to dine with a special person. Great staff too.
About the food, the dishes I tried were:
Dahi puri —
Dal fry — this one is made of dark dal (lentil)
Malabar Chicken Curry — coconut milk in the gravy, creamy, yet spicy, thanks to the wonderful chillies.
Malabar Porotta —
this is what I expected, but what I got was Paratha —
. The latter has nothing to do with Malabar.
Also had Garlic naan — very thin crested naan, crisp and delicious
The chilly fries — fries with some chilli powder sprinkled all over was served with a tasty dip, which I guess was a mix of mayo and some other sauce. Its texture reminded me of Southwest Sauce from Subway.
We also had the masala chai, which was made with just the right amount of sugar.
Overall it was a lovely meal. And I’ll definitely go there again.
But some dishes like the Porotta, really needs a proper Malabari chef to make it. Else it’ll never be porotta. But that is for those who know real Malabar dishes. For Londoners who have barely travelled outside London, this will be amazing.

Came here for a work lunch yesterday and was fairly impressed. The restaurant was heaving at lunchtime, but luckily we had made a reservation prior to coming. The menu seems to be mainly Indian fusion of sorts, but it all worked. We ordered drinks, various sides and main meals (the GT Road Chicken special was especially tasty) and it came to less than £20 per person. I’d go back for sure.

Lovely atmosphere, very nice Anglo-​Asian dishes (some with a vague Desi-​Chinese flavor), and attentive staff.
I’ll most definitely eat here again, next time I’m in London!

Chai Ki really impressed me with their level of tasty Indian food and elegant ambiance.
Came here on a Saturday night for dinner and decided to go in the back restaurant bit for a more formal feel. Though we loved the food on the bar menu you can’t order from both menus, which was a disappointment.
For starter we got GOAN PRAWNS, and they were absolutely delicious. I wish there were more than 5 pieces because it really kept me wanting more.
I got butter chicken and my boyfriend got the gohst. Butter chicken unfortunately only comes with 5 pieces but nonetheless it was great butter chicken. My boyfriend got the lamb dish and it was a huge portion side which was perfect.
As for drinks they are all delicious and I would definitely recommend the Mango Caipirinha!!!
Chai Ki is a great restaurant, which I definitely would recommend though next time I will definitely want to check out the bar menu

Ventured down to beautiful Canary Wharf on Friday to have lunch at Chai Ki. Unfortunately this restaurant was a bit of a letdown.
Ambiance is great, beautiful clean lines and everything is new. Unfortunately the acoustics are terrible and seating is close together, so be prepared to yell across the table in order to be heard.
Service is not good at all. It took forever for someone to take our drinks order, then we had to flag another person down to order food. Servers aren’t very friendly, which may be because they seemed to be very spread thin.
Food is mixed:
– Bun Tikki is a great concept but huge chunks of the sweet potato were undercooked. Also, it comes with cheese, which I don’t eat as I’m lactose intolerant. Not sure why the menu doesn’t mention this important ingredient but lists mayo as an ingredient. I had to eat around the melted cheese.
– Shakarkandi Chaat is excellent but very spicy. Be prepared to eat this with your mouth on fire. I wish they could tone down the spice level because this was fantastic.
– Chicken Tikka Naan was just okay per my husband. I don’t eat chicken so I can’t comment. He didn’t finish this if that says anything.
– Burnt Ginger Rice was delicious but came with sesame seeds on top. Again, no mention of this on the menu and since I can’t eat seeds /​nuts (I know, I am high-​maintenance), I had to request it to be made again. The manager (?) seemed irritated with me but I pointed out the menu should mention this ingredient, which it doesn’t. She grudgingly replaced the dish but it took a while.
– Green Chutney Slaw wasn’t very good AND it came with sesame seeds. Sigh.
Overall: Maybe Chai Ki is so new it’s working out service and food kinks? I have no idea but I prefer Masala Zone or even Roti Chai. I doubt we’ll return.

Operated by the same people behind Roti Chai, Chai Ki is an Indian restaurant in the newly developed Cross Rail station in Canary Wharf. The cooking concept is similar to Roti Chai, mostly Indian street food in an impressive spacious dining room with a toddy shop bar, the restaurant also serves breakfast which can be appealing to the local workers when you are after something different to your standard British/​European style breakfast. Unlike most other Indian restaurants in London, Chai Ki has a massive collection of craft beer, an extensive wine list and some very interesting and creative cocktails that are inspired by South Asian flavours such as the chai & orange martini which the gin has, blended with spices.
The menu comes in sharing plates and mains, so diners have the choice to mix and match, ordering 1 sharing plate as a starter followed by a main or simply go for a number of sharing dishes like you would in a tapas bar. The instant winner on the night was the dahi puri, the crunchy semolina shells were so light and crispy with a cool and refreshing yoghurt resting with nutty tamarind, my kind of summer dish. The mild spicy pulled pork paratha was also excellent, tender meat with the freshness of the coconut mixed wonderfully with the chilli and curry leaf. And just as good was the calamari, again lightly spiced, smooth with a peppery sweetness from the cane sugar and cumin.
Main dish of coconut prawns was a real full flavour dish, it had a wonderful mild spicy aroma with rich and creamy textures, it was not overpowering with the coconut milk, finely blended in with the turmeric and the sweet prawns. The weak link on the night was the duck porridge, while I did not hve a problem with the flavour, the texture was far too thick and heavy which was hard for me to consume. We were so full toward the end so ended up going for a light dessert, the mango kulfi ice cream lollipop was very creamy and buttery with the sourness of the exotic fruit adding a great balance.
To sum it up, Chai Ki is indeed an excellent Indian restaurant, it is hard to find a decent restaurant in Canary Wharf, mostly chains in both standard and premium territory so Chai Ki really offered something different, it is very good value, with small plates ranging from £7 — £8 and all mains under £15. The street food element of its cooking also made it very approachable and easy to understand of what the restaurant is offering, so if you are a fan of modern Indian cuisine at an affordable price in Canary Wharf, look no further than Chai Ki.

We went out looking for a Sunday breakfast in the Canary Wharf area which is close to home. The obvious choice is to try the Breakfast Club. We thought we’d chance the queues and give it a go considering we were fairly early — 1030-​ish.
But we were out of luck and the place was packed (as always) and we would have to wait for 20 – 30 mins for food. We were famished so we decided to roam.
Just next door we found ‘Chai Ki’ and the menu sounded really interesting at first glance. It is an Indian take on Classic British dishes.
The best of course being the Full Nashta which is, of course, the Full English Breakfast. The bacon stays as it is — but thats all that remains the same. There is bun instead of toast, egg burji instead of scrambled, masala beans instead of beans and a spicy sausage instead of the regular one.
Of all the stuff, its the bun that wins as its toasted to perfection. Reminded me of the paos back in India. For 11 quid thats the equivalent of a proper Hinglish Breakfast ;)
The masala tea was a bit too masala-​ed.
The ambience was good though I didn’t take a long look around. They do drinks as well with a ‘Kallu Shap’ sing behind the bar.
Will definitely be back again.

Had a solid meal at this newly opened Indian restaurant. Just the front open now and still working through the staffing but food was good. Chili sauce side is excellent and the pulled pork app. was great for two. Good cocktail menu and fresh modern interior.

Newly opened in the crossrail of canary wharf. Very busy during lunchtime, though the food does not dissapoint. Modern, classy, urban interior with a menu that speaks volume. Not like your ordinary Indian place, definitely mixed combination of traditional and urban. Ordered the chicken lollipops they were amazing, not too spicy which meant you could taste the aromas and spices used. The sweetness of the tamarind is amazing. The Bhel Puri was my favourite, fresh, subtle flavours and the pomegranate helps break up the chilli. The calamari was a bit weird, not something I’d recommend, was chewy, too sweet and just not my cuppa tea. To drink I got the Punjabi masala Chai, quite a kick of cinnamon, pleasant to drink, doesn’t need any added sugar. Would definitely go back to try more dishes. Even though they were busy, service was on point and they were also great at suggesting dishes to try out.

Chai Ki has just openend in the new Crossrail Place building near Canary Wharf (so make sure you head this way, behind Canada Square) and we love it!
I have had loads of puri and chaat (see my pictures if you don’t know this) when in South India and this was the (first and) best puri and chaat since then. We then had a very spicy (very nice) chicken dish with a lot of vegetables and chicken tikka naan. Washing it away with a Bethnal Pale Ale was great.
Although just open and not too busy on a Monday evening there was a good atmosphere, kind staff, a bit loud but good music (even some Goa trance I guess) and a great interior.
When really open they should have three separate concepts and parts of the restaurant: a fastbar (for breakfast takeway), a toddy shop (kind of chaat place, more snacks and starters) and the dining room (for lunch and dinner, bit more quiet dining probably).
The bill was very acceptable (actually lower than expected).
Definitely want to return here!

Great Place and really good food– though the menu needs to expand
The portion sizes are on the smaller side — but the taste is great.
Loved the Mango Kulfi.
Would like to see more variety on the menu.