I am participating in Dry January this year and after three weeks of drinking water with my meals, I was excited to have an opportunity to have dinner accompanied by some drinks that wouldn’t break the promise I had made for the month.
The Berry Company has partnered with four restaurants across London where the bartenders experimented with The Berry Company’s innovate blends juices to create bespoke, non-alcoholic and vegan concoctions. From goji berry to acai, The Berry Company’s fruit and fruit blend juices are unique in their flavour profiles and are packed with Vitamins A, C and K. We tried the four unique mocktail recipes developed by the bar team at Copper Chimney, a restaurant serving North Indian cuisine in West London, designed to compliment the spices and flavours of the dishes on the restaurant’s menu.
To kick off the evening, we sipped The Pink Lady. The most refined drink on the list, it is served in a martini glass and garnished with edible flowers which always puts a smile on my face. The drink is an eye-catching purple colour created by a mix of The Berry Company’s Pomegranate, White Tea & Peach, and Blueberry juices with a dash of lime. This drink has a nice tart flavour at first and then eases into a soft sweet finish with notable cranberry and blueberry notes.
With our starters, we then tried the Super Berry Bramble which is a short drink made with The Berry Company’s Superberries Red blend, Superberries Purple and Cranberry juices combined over slushy-style crushed ice and topped with fresh strawberries and preserved lemon. This drink reminds me of a perfectly refreshing lemonade but with unique peach and pomegranate flavours that helped refresh our palettes to enjoy the spiciness and aromatic flavours of the food.
We also tried the Chandni Chowk Chaat, a Copper Chimney special inspired by the streets of Old Delhi. This colourfully layered small “plate” is uniquely served in a rocks glass and composed of chatpata chickpeas, spiced potatoes, fresh yoghurt and sweet and spicy chutney. It is then topped with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. The alternating layers of bright herb green, white and red make it a beautiful dish packed with flavour. You can taste the coriander and spices in the chutney and the chickpeas and potatoes offer an appealing texture and slight spiciness.
The Grilled Burrah Chop is another Copper Chimney speciality our waiter recommended and it did not disappoint. Two beautifully tender, bone-in lamb chops cooked in cinnamon and marinated for eight hours before being seared and chargrilled grace the plate. The dish first greets you with a lovely sweet smell of cinnamon that while noticeable on the nose, is not overwhelming on the palette. The lamb chops are served with a herb sauce in a side dish you can add to each bite, or not, depending on how you like it.
For the third small plate, we enjoyed the Chargrilled Chicken Tikka which definitely has a spicy kick to it making our mouths thankful for the relief provided by the Super Berry Bramble. This chicken dish is served as several pieces of juicy, tender chicken that has just the right amount of char flavour without tasting burned. It is also served with a green herb sauce on the side so you can again decide how much you want to add to each bite.
With our main courses, we tried the Goji Berry Mojito and Acai Berry Mojito which are both long drinks served over shaved ice. The Goji Berry Mojito is the sweetest mocktail on the menu and has nice orange and goji flavours with subtle hints of lime and mint. The Berry Company’s Goji Berry juice comes in a lightly sparkling variety which is used in this drink which subtly mimics a traditional cocktail made with prosecco or champagne. The Acai Berry Mojito has very fresh flavours and tastes like a tart açai smoothie bowl. The lime juice is an excellent addition and the lightly sparkling acai berry juice by The Berry Company gives this drink a refreshing lightness that works well with the curries and meats on the menu. Between the two, I really couldn’t pick a favourite but thought that the goji berry version most closely resembled a mojito where the açai lacked this in accuracy.
With these drinks, we tried the Black Dal Maharaja, a Copper Chimney signature dish made from whole black lentils, tomatoes and spices slow cooked and topped with a drizzle of ghee. This vegetarian curry option has a lovely nutty but creamy flavour and is the perfect hearty dish for a cold winter night. When ordering Indian cuisine I usually include a paneer dish and Copper Chimney’s Paneer Masala did not disappoint. Their version is sweet and slightly citrussy. The paneer is beautifully light and not rubbery. They have really nailed this recipe which has unsurprisingly gone unchanged by Copper chefs since 1972.
Tempted by the classic Butter Chicken we instead felt adventurous and tried the Pickled Chicken Masala. This dish is made of tender chicken thigh which has been steeped in homemade pickle and then cooked and served in a smooth sauce. I enjoyed this dish but if ordered again, I would ask for extra pickle garnish as I found the best bites were those that included a piece of the pickle the dish is topped with.
On the side, we tried the Saffron Berry Pulao, a basmati rice dish infused with turmeric and berries, lightly seasoned with Indian spices. I enjoyed the unexpected tart flavour from the small dried berries, my dining buddy thought they were overpowering and took away from the other rich flavours of the dishes it was combined with. It is a polarising approach to rice, typically considered a no-brainer but if nothing else, it left us talking about it and again, I would select it for re-order but you will have to try it to decide who you agree with.
My favourite styles of naan are cheese and garlic and I was pleased to see both options available at Copper Chimney. They were both fluffy and well cooked. While the cheese naan has just the right amount of cheese, the garlic naan would have benefited from more flavour.
If you are up for trying new things and have a sweet tooth, you can’t leave without trying the signature dessert, Gajar Pistachio Crumble. This dish is unexpectedly made from shaved carrot which has been combined with sweetened milk and cardamom and topped with pistachio and praline crumble, served with pistachio ice cream on the side. It has a rice pudding consistency but a sweet lightness which was a great finish to the meal.
The Berry Company’s Mocktail Medley menus are available at West London’s Kahani, Copper Chimney, Zuaya and East London’s Barge East through January.
The Copper Chimney is available for delivery on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats
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Chatting Food Contributor Alyssa LeAnne's motto is, "The fastest way to the heart is through the stomach" and she has fallen in love with cities, cuisines and people after tasting their food.
After over seven years in lifestyle PR, she landed in her true passion for food and beverage as a Food Stylist where she makes food and drinks look gorgeous for the camera and informative to consumers. She loves a restaurant tasting menu and is always up for creating one on her own by sharing with whoever she is dining out with. While at home, she is an avid dinner party host, experimental recipe developer and enjoys everything extra spicy!