Introducing Koyla, Adelaide’s first authentic Delhi-style restaurant

When Rajesh Kumar arrived in Australia in 2006, it was no surprise that he missed the sights and sounds of his native Delhi. But even more than that, he missed the flavours. We have plenty of Indian restaurants in Adelaide, but the passionate cook insists that “ever since I arrived, I’ve never found really authentic Indian food here.” 

The natural host soon began inviting friends around for dinner to try his favourite dishes, but he always dreamed of doing it on a larger scale. So, when covid decimated his financial services business in the CBD, it presented an opportunity to diversify and open his own restaurant in the heart of The Parade. 

“I knew I wanted to be on The Parade because it’s such a vibrant street,” he says, “but it took me almost a year to find this place.” Transforming the former salon into a restaurant took another year, but he was finally ready to open in August 2022. And at least one part of the process was easy: the name. 

Koyla means charcoal in Hindi, and it’s at the very centre of the cooking process thanks to a one-and-a-half metre charcoal pit in the kitchen. “When we eat in Delhi, the meat is cooked on charcoal first, it's not cooked in the sauce,” Kumar explains. “That’s true even for butter chicken, and it defines the flavour – it's not overly sweet or spicy, just the right balance with a hint of smokiness.” 

In the epic entrée platter featuring lamb tikka, chicken tikka, charcoal chicken and lamb shish kebab, that smoke is enhanced by a range of colourful sauces including yoghurt and garlic, coriander and mint chutney with green chilli and tomato and mint chutney. Especially brave diners can upgrade to the Super Chilli Pickle with ghost chilli and black pepper, but be warned: “it's next level hot!”

And while there’s a strong focus on the North Indian dishes Kumar grew up with, the menu also features a Spanish mackerel cutlet marinated with turmeric and mustard oil and served in a creamy coconut and tamarind sauce with a hint of chilli, while the pork vindaloo harks back to that dish’s origins in the former Portuguese colony of Goa. 

The drinks are equally heavy on flavour, with options including a refreshing lime soda, mango lassi and salted cumin lassi. Those after something a little stronger will find a dozen wines by the glass and an impressive back bar with whiskies from India, Japan, Scotland, Ireland and the USA. 

Fittingly, the colourful, flavour-packed dishes at Koyla are complemented by a vibrant fit out that incorporates a painted feature wall and hundreds of flags hanging from the ceiling. “This place is all about introducing people to the foods that I love, so it was important to have a lot of colour and warmth,” says Kumar. “I want people to feel welcome when they come in.”