This Indian restaurant has got its Michelin 1-star status in 2022, and since opening in Rosewood Hong Kong has been one of the most difficult places to reserve a table. After a lot of effort I finally managed to secure a spot this Sunday, and arrived at CHAAT before 6pm.
Seated at a table on the window side, the whole ambience is one of comfort, relaxing yet seeping through a luxury tone, with chic designs featuring paintings of an Indian street to celebrate its colorful food culture, and glass walls looking into the kitchen where the tandoori was being roasted.
We ordered the Tasting Menu ($998) and for me also the wine pairing ($680). The first wine served was Goncalves Faria Vinho Branco 2015, a Portuguese white made with some local varieties, with elegant mineral notes and refreshing lime characters to go with the appetizers.
The appetizers included Raj Kachori, which is a deep-fried crispy shell made from fine sooji, and stuffed with lentil and pomegranate, with sweet and tangy sauce, yoghurt, and chutney. There was also the Baked Samosa, with the conical deep-fried pastry filling with Jackfruit meat, which had an unbelievably similar texture with true meat. Both were very good and great examples of the wonderful Indian street foods.
The second wine pairing was Roger Sabon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Olivets 2019. The CDP had a toasty, furry note that went well with meat, with the ripe black cherries prominent on the palate, and able to hold against the stronger flavors of the tandoori coming next.
The Tandoori Wagyu Beef Cheek was beautifully grilled, but upon cutting it you would be amazed how tender it was. Its taste was also very good, after squeezing some lime juice to freshen and giving the acidity for better enjoyment. To pair, the chef had prepared a sauce using Hung yoghurt, the thick creamy yoghurt left behind after draining in a cheesecloth, with Kashmir chili and cinnamon. I guess next time we would like to explore more the other tandoori dishes as well given how good this was.
For the main course, the wine paired came from South Africa, the interesting BlankBottle Winery Retirement @65 2020. This Syrah/Grenache/Cinsault blend was the fifth vintage of the wine, with an interesting story behind. A lighter red than the last one with more red fruit and herbs.
The next lot was all presented in one go, providing us the opportunity to mix and match the delicious curries. The Old Delhi Butter Chicken was certainly creamy and rich, with the chicken tender in texture. The nicely spiced tomato sauce had some fresh fenugreek added as well to increase its fragrance.
The Dal Makhani was the popular slow cooked black lentil, making them buttery with the sauce. Personally, my favorite in the evening, the flavorful black lentil and the sauce was a nice match, and I also liked the slightly spicier note of its sauce, pairing perfectly with the garlic naan.
The Prawn Pulao is the India version of risotto in my opinion, with the aged Basmati rice cooked in stock to infuse with flavors, with also some saffron added for its signature taste. The prawn was also of good quality, with its flavors indicating these were fresh and not frozen.
The Kachumber Raita was made with yoghurt, mustard seeds and curry leaves, the chef also added pomegranate, tomato, onion, and cucumber to give more bite. I found it was complementary to the pulao and adding another dimension of flavors to the rice.
The Garlic Naan was very good, with the bread having a nice bite. I liked the amount of garlic which made it flavorful but not overpowering. A perfect companion for the different curries and the sauce. After finished the portion the staff asked whether we wanted more, but unfortunately by then we were too full.
To pair with the dessert, the sommelier pulled a barrel on wheel to our table, which contained Graham’s 20-Year-Old Tawny Port. Using a pipette to extract from the barrel reminded me of the time we visited winery and tasting the fresh wines, and the nice balance of sweetness of the port was good match with the two desserts coming up.
With the choice of two, we decided to have one dessert each. The Caramel Shani Tukda is a bread that had been deep-fried and soaked in syrups, and then topped a creamy paste, further scattered with some peanuts and rose petals to add different texture and flavors. On the side was a delicious oatmilk ice cream.
The other dessert was Seasonal Kulfi with Rabdi Falooda. Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert, created to look like a popsicle, with some coconut meat and other condiments on top. Underneath was some mango pieces, the creamy rabdi which is a kind of sweetened milk, and the falooda, the most interesting part, a noodle-like dessert. All together it was a nice experience and my preference among the two.
With a mocktail, a bottled water and a cup of tea, the bill on the night was $3,240 which was reasonable. Service was very good too but I hope the staff could spend more time in explaining the dishes. I believe the chef had significantly adjusted the spicy level, and one suggestion was that the staff could check with the customers beforehand on their tolerance before doing that adjustment. But overall this is still a nice place for exploring Indian street foods in a fine-dining fashion.
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