Last Updated on October 12, 2025
Hot stuff in South London
4.0 out of 5.0 starsKokum has been cooking up inventive Indian food in smart contemporary surroundings since opening in 2023. Co-founder Sanjay Gour’s very promising credentials include a stint as the head chef at the star of the London Indian restaurant firmament: Gymkhana. We went along to East Dulwich on a wet Wednesday evening and were quickly warmed up by the hot and complex spicing on offer here.
The restaurant has a large outdoor terrace where, in brighter weather, BBQs are available and a selection of marinated dishes are grilled to order from Thursday to Sunday.
Kokum’s signature cocktail list is full of intriguing variations on the classics, like a Pink Peppercorn Old Fashioned and a Chocolate Orange Negroni. I did not regret my choice: the Paloma Sunset. Now this was a serious drink, a mix of Tequila, Aperol, grapefruit, lime, cinnamon syrup, salt and foamers. Later in the evening, a great big tray of Palomas swept past us, making a large and jolly party of friends even more festive.
Meanwhile, my more sensible friend was enjoying the non-alcoholic version of my drink: the refreshing Paloma Passion (pink grapefruit, agave, lime and soda).
Encouraged by our enthusiastic waiter, we did a “compare and contrast” of both the puris on Kokum’s starter menu. First, we tackled the Pani Puri: potato, chickpeas and moong sprouts stuffed into crunchy wheat puffs. Once we’d filled them up from the jug of mint and coriander water, we had to act fast. Our waiter had given us serious instructions to eat them in one mouthful. He was probably right, but we needed at least two bites to finish them off. This proved a delicious but messy business.
Then we were on to the Dahi Puri. This time, the potato, chickpea, and moong sprouts were packed into fried wheat puffs and smothered in sweet yoghurt, mint and coriander chutney, and tamarind chutney.
We both agreed that we’d never had such fiery puris before and that we could not declare a winner: both very good.
Complex flavours and yet more heat came to the fore in the Tandoori Roast Cauliflower from the grilled starter menu. This turned out to be a good foil to the puris. The menu promised a combination of pickled, spice-marinated baby cauliflower, tempered makhani sauce, and mint and coriander chutney. It was quickly described as “lovely” by my friend. I thought it was slightly over-salted, but my companion thought it was spot on.
And then we moved on to the mains. We picked two, the Chicken Kohlapuri and the Paneer Makhani. The tender chicken was cooked in a rich and warming sauce of Kolhapuri spices, onion, tomato masala and coconut. We’d have liked more of the springy paneer to make the most of the sweet and delicious buttery tomato and fenugreek sauce.
On the sides menu there’s an option to go for traditional size or to go large. This could prove useful for picking a side as a main or for sharing with a large table of diners. We went for the Baingan Bharta, a combination of tandoor-roasted aubergine mash, green peas, onion and tomato masala. Again, the tandoor oven had done its work, turning the aubergine super smoky, so light and fluffy, and almost whipped in texture.
We tussled over the bread menu. My friend favoured the Tandoori roti, but I won and we had the excellent Laccha paratha. The layered wholewheat bread was ideal for dipping and mopping all of the rich sauces on the table, and especially the smoky aubergine.
From the short “Something Sweet” section of the menu, we picked the Gulab Jamun. We held off from adding the shot of Old Monk Rum for an extra £5 – this dessert was quite lovely without it. The fried milk dumplings were pleasingly dense and juicy but not made soggy by the sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream. There are two dumplings per portio,n so it’s ideal for sharing after a good attack at the savoury menu.
The front of Kokum restaurant is given over to a large bar area, a relaxed spot for drinks and a curry, while the back opens out into a spacious dining room on two levels. There is no flock wallpaper to be seen; this is a thoroughly modern place.
As it fills up over the course of the evening, the room resounds with laughter and chatter. Kokum’s a good place for anyone who likes their curry hot and interesting and accompanied by a long cool beer (there’s lots of choice on draught here) or a fancy cocktail.
Kokum
58-60 East Dulwich Road,
East Dulwich
London
SE22 9AX
Telephone: 02035511883
Leave a Reply