One of West Kirby’s long-standing Indian restaurants has recently had a major makeover, changing its name from Karma to Chaat, creating a smart new interior and introducing a brand new tapas style menu. We popped along to sample the food, as guests of the Miah family…
This is a bit awkward, given the circumstances, but I need to bring it up at the start: I am not generally a fan of tapas. Or small plates. Or sharing dishes. I am old school when it comes to eating out. My preference is to order the meal I want, and eat it myself.
As Smithy famously ranted on TV’s Gavin and Stacey when railing against a shared curry order: “I can guarantee that Pete is already eyeing up my bhuna…if you want a bhuna, order a bhuna!”
So a trip to Chaat, which now specialises in tapas style dishes, could have been – pardon the pun – a recipe for disaster.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t turn out that way.
The first thing you notice when you enter Chaat is how green it is. I am not just talking about the chairs, tables and menus, but also the foliage hanging on the walls.
There’s been investment in a smart new bar area near the entrance, which serves cocktails as well as beer and wine.
The exposed brickwork on the wall adds to the contemporary feel.
As my wife and I perused the menu, I resolved to overcome my prejudice of tapas. After all, I told myself sternly, we usually share a naan bread when we go for a curry.
We started with ‘Papadom Chaat’, which is a new take on papadoms. It is designed to share (naturally), and features several nacho-style snacks covered in a tangy spicy sauce and mixed herbs. They are a bit messy if you use your hands, but are a taste sensation and beat a pickle tray hands down any day of the week.
We then opted for starters: masala grilled fish which melted in the mouth, and an extremely flavoursome paneer tikka.
Our curries were the railway lamb, which has a subtle heat that gradually builds the more you eat, and murgh makhani – chicken tikka with spiced tomato, ginger and curry leaves in a rich butter sauce, which was lightly spiced.
We bulked out the dishes with the traditional Indian accompaniments of garlic naan and rice.
One benefit of tapas dining (although not for our waistlines) was that we had room left for dessert. I am slightly ashamed to say that we chose the least Indian dish on the menu: a delicious chocolate brownie with ice cream.
And yes, we shared it.
Chaat is open Tuesday – Sunday, 5-9pm. For reservations visit https://www.chaatwestkirby.co.uk/
West Kirby Today dined as guests of Chaat.