Tucked away a few minutes from Bank Tube, this Indian restaurant has a loyal following and it’s easy to taste why.
You’d never guess a restaurant was down this side street. I was convinced my map app was wrong but, as I don’t know this part of town, I had no choice but to trust it. Sure enough, looming up like a hot towel before dessert, Chatora City appeared as a line of large windows higher than street level and behind them a surprisingly busy restaurant for a Thursday lunchtime
This may have had something to do with the special lunch deal for busy workers that ends at 2 pm. Not being busy workers ourselves, we rocked up towards 2 pm just as the slaves of industry were all beginning to get back to their desks before HR was alerted and search parties sent out.
We’d come for the a la carte menu from newly arrived Executive Chef Imamuddin Khan (formerly The Cinnamon Club, Kahani, Dum-Pukht and Baluchi) and his new summer menu.
The usual papadums were not the usual plain or spiced, but a mixture including those that look like the polystyrene ceiling tiles on ceilings, the ones that were banned after it was found they dripped napalm when on fire. My parents had them everywhere, I don’t know how we survived.
Good dips for the papads – garlic-tempered yoghurt, mango and lime, husk tomato and roasted bellpepper.
Let’s talk about the Chaat (see what I did there? Chatora has a Avo-Berry Chaat made from chickpeas, wheat crisp, avocado and fresh berries all slathered with tamarind and yoghurt.
This was quite a thick combination, but it really was tasty. All those flavours melded very well and the berries cut it. It could usefully have had the chick peas thinned a bit as we found ourselves getting quite full.
And we needed space for the other two starters, Pithla Duck Salad first. Pulled duck, steamed chickpea croutons and tamarind dressing was quite brilliant. Perfectly spiced, the towering pile of shredded duck fell apart beautifully and those novel croutons were something else. Spongy and lively with some kind of vinegar, they went very well with the carefully spiced duck. Slices of mooli radish added welcome crisp, fresh crunch. A really great dish.
Malabar Prawns were kissed by the tandoor to be charcoal-tastic outside but still moist and precisely cooked inside. Coconut malai, the sweet jelly like flesh inside unripe coconuts, carom seed, cipollini onion chutney all made superb partners.
This was all very good and rather new, but for mains we went a bit more traditional with butter chicken in tomato and fenugreek sauce with a cashew crumble. I always find this dish a bit too sweet for my taste, but otherwise it was well spiced and a dish that K always goes for so we had to have it.
We both loved the Black Dal, lovingly slow-cooked, as it needs to be, and enriched with burnt garlic and home-churned butter. I could eat this all on its own any day. It’s a heavy dish, thanks to all that lovely butter, but immensely satisfying. We never ever manage to finish a bowlful and were tempted to ask for a doggy bag.
The star of the mains’show was Alleppey Halibut. Halibut pieces in Keralan Alleppey-style coconut curry, coconut malai, fresh turmeric, green mango. The sauce was superb, never swamping the fish. I haven’t seen this dish before.
Proper well pre soaked ‘witchy fingers’ basmati and fine naan bread came and went rather too quickly. Note tgo self :order more bread and rice to get all of those great sauces absorbed.
Gulab Jamun was too much for K who by now had thrown in the towel. I loved these Khoya balls soaked in cardamom syrup with hazelnut chikki and vanilla ice cream and scoffed the lot.
Chatora City has a dedicated fan base and it grows all the time through word of mouth. The subcontinent community particularly rate it highly I’m told, and certainly the customers we saw on our visit were predominantly of that provenance which is always a good sign.
Staff were smart and efficient and owner Jam Rahman, who has made Chatora Richmond a Michelin Guide-rated restaurant, was a cheerful presence, greeting everyone that came in and chatting away with a rather infectious throaty laugh. He certainly enjoys his job and has novel ideas, such as stocking 120 different wines, although we could not be prized away from cold lager.
With a bar for cocktails ( and wine) and a smart private dining area, Chatora City would already be a draw, but with the truly excellent food it’s a must- visit.
Chatora City, 4 Great St Thomas Apostle, London EC4V 2BH,