A slight change of direction has packed out the restaurant⊠
Restaurant serving Indian food âwith a twistâ is âturning customers awayâ
Hussain said he wanted to bring something different to the area after working in the industry for decades
A restauranteur wants to educate people who may be âset in their waysâ on Indian cuisine. Hussain Miah opened Chaat in West Kirby on the back of another successful Indian restaurant he ran, which lasted for 22 years. With the aim of bringing âsomething differentâ to the area, he is offering âhome-style Indian food with a twistâ.
Chaat on Grange Road has a compact but varied menu which includes small plates - or âIndian tapasâ, as Hussain calls it - such as tamarind chicken wings, hot butter shrimp, tikka corn and chaat inspired items - of course. Chaat is a broad term for a wide range of Indian roadside foods that usually feature some kind of fried dough with various ingredients that typically create a spicy, tangy, or salty flavour.
Curry is also on the menu at Chaat, with dishes such as saag paneer, lamb biryani and Keralan fish. However, Hussain insists he is not a curry house and wants to distinguish his restaurant from such establishments. He told the ECHO: âIâm trying to create an experience rather than just coming in for a curry - itâs more of an occasion.
âI wanted to get away from the standard curry house crowd. Weâve opened up to a whole new demographic: young families, professionals, date nights. Date nights are lacking at Indian restaurants and donât happen that often; but three months into this now, the amount of dates that Iâm seeing come in.â
He said: âCurry houses, as a whole, fall under the category of British-Indian restaurants - everything has been Anglicised. Thereâs nothing wrong with that, itâs fusion food at its best, but I think as the years are progressing, more and more people know about food and thereâs more foodies and bloggers than there ever has been.
âCurry houses are created for the masses, especially if youâre serving takeaways. If youâre serving takeaways, you need to have a fairly big menu because you want home comforts. But with a big menu, the amount of waste, the amount of prep, the amount of old food - itâs not worth it. Thereâs a big educational purpose to this place."
Hussain said his grandad opened the first Indian restaurant on the Wirral, and the second in the whole of Merseyside. He has followed in his footsteps, at first running Chaatâs predecessor, Karma. He said: âWeâve had this place for 22 years.
"It was called Karma prior to Chaat. It did really well but it got to a point where I was done with it and I needed a change; Iâd done the restaurant up about four times and it had just run its course.
âI had an idea to bring something new - especially as a small independent." Hussain said he noticed a gap in the market, with the likes of Mowgli and Bundobust having success with small plates.
He added: âI think with the Indian restaurant trade, no one really tries to step out of the box or do something thatâs just completely different; I chose to take that different path and do Indian food in tapas form while choosing a different dĂ©cor for the area.â
Walking into Chaat, there are tropical plants hanging from the ceiling and walls, while a rainforest green paint job makes you feel like youâre in India. Elaborating on this, Hussain said: âThe dĂ©cor was one of the most important things, it needed to fit into the area; I wanted to stand out but not boast.
âWe wanted to catch peopleâs eye and catch peopleâs attention. When you walk in here, itâs calm here and itâs pretty.â
Chaat opened its doors in May this year and Hussain said thereâs only been three nights when heâs not turned anyone away. He added: "In most restaurants you have two or three weeks after opening when thereâs a hype and then it settles down, but here itâs just been getting busier and busier.
âWe make food weâd make at home and add a few little twists here and there, and present it well - thatâs it. It isnât for everyone but with the numbers weâre getting in, my only complaint is that Iâm working too much!â
