While I was kind of proud of myself being able to
get a table booked at CHAAT a few months ago, this time I did get some help from Chef Manav for our family dinner for 6 people at the end of April which also doubled as an informal birthday celebration for our nephew N. And we also troubled Chef Manav for a few new dishes apart from what's normally available on their a la carte menu, and gosh, we got much more than what we asked for.
We began our night the same way we did last time around, with papadum with chutney, then the baked samosa cones and mini Raj Kachori with yogurt sauce, all presented with bright flavors. The street food style Prawn Balchao was served on mini nan like a burrito with just the slight spicy kick.
"I was testing out a new recipe for Indian-style Barbecue Pork, let me pass you a small portion to try..." and what Chef Manav meant by "small portion" turned out to be a large slab of pork loin for EACH of us. There's a striking similarity between that and Cantonese Char Siu - probably because of the same hint of sweetness - but Chef Manav assured us only traditional Indian spices were used. I do love the tender texture, smoky and sweet hint, juicy meat and a nice spicy kick at the end. Malabar Fish Curry was another new dish we tried this time,
For the rest we mainly went for what's available on their a la carte menu. In our last visit we loved the Chingri Malai Seafood Soup and happy for a repeat this time, with the soup served in the young coconut shell with rich curry-like flavor, distinct aroma from the turmeric and curry leaf and plenty of seafood (squids and prawns) Two tandoori dishes were served. The Lehsuni Murgh Tikka uses chicken thigh cut and served boneless with roasted garlic on top and beetroot chutney on the side. The meat was super juicy and balanced with the sweet chutney. The octopus we had as off-menu dish is now part of their regular offering – the octopus tentacles were done tender and smothered with herbs and spices (cardamon and cinnamon)
I haven’t had their Lamb Shank Biryani since my first visit – admittedly lamb is not my favorite ingredient but I did enjoy this dish. The meat was slightly gamey but got nice off-the-bone texture and worked well with the biryani rice baked in an earthenware casserole. Completing our dinner were a few more hot dishes served in traditional handi bowl, including Malabar Fish Curry using the fatty cod fillet and Lehsuni Palak with its intense spinach and garlic flavor, both of which served with freshly baked garlic naan on the side.
I made sure I have enough room for the dessert of chocolate naan this time and glad I did with chocolate syrup melted between two slightly crispy naan and then topped with nuts, coconut ice-cream and soft meringue. Such a nice sweet treat. Of course we ended with the masala chai – I was just craving for that when they brought in the tea pot and glass to serve.
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720308148684
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