Eating out: A den to remember

Chatora’s Den menu is growing but strength of chef Imtiaz and his team is the local fare, especially seafood.

KARACHI:

My first introduction to Chatora’s Den was through a work colleague who praised the restaurant’s seafood fare.

When I started to look for the place, it turned out that the Den is actually a den. Tucked away off Khayaban-e-Bokhari, the nearest point of reference is Neco’s, another fine restaurant that believes in quality over quantity.



Chatora’s is a small three table restaurant. The owner of the restaurant is comfortingly close by; he or his wife usually sit in the small office on one side of the eatery, while the kitchen is located on the other side. Their presence ensures quality of service and food. There is an emphasis on feedback and on service.

But the best part of the restaurant is located on the menu. My favourite was Prawn biryani, possilbly the best I have eaten this side of the sub-continent. It isn’t over spiced and over cooked  — like I see with another popular seafood place, Biryani of The Seas (BOTS). One could taste the prawns in the biryani and the spices were just right — slightly tangy but not over-powering.

The other favourite which I had tasted on a return visit (yes, I visited more than once), were the fish dishes, particularly the local salmon. Not only was this local salmon (Ramas in local parlance) but it was fresh and made in front of me on the grill next to the seating area. A treat to eat because I am somewhat tired of eating the taste neutral Pangasius, which is now a popular import from Vietnam for most local eateries that serve fish fare. Both Salmon and Pompret are available with a side order of vegetables.



The duo that runs the restaurant, Naim Beg and Huma Beg, seem to have invested a lot in food quality and service. The place may be small but it makes up in terms of what is served and how it is served. There is a personal touch  — possibly one of the few places where you can send back a dish to have it redone or replaced with no questions asked.

It always makes sense to inquire about who is the person behind a restaurant. Naim Beg was a senior level banker with Bank Al Falah before he started his new project. His other passions are photography  — which can be seen by the pictures that adorn the walls of the place, and fast cars. After spending over a decade in Peshawar, Beg now brings back much of what he learnt over the years to his restaurant.

To every cloud there is a silver lining. If we invert that, there are some down-sides to Chatora’s Den. For example, the Russian salad, which the restaurant claims as one its best offers, is somewhat bland and predictable. The other are the drinks on offer — mostly mixers, one would have liked fresh juices to go with the fresh food instead.

Also, given that this is food made on order, the turnaround time for some of the dishes is longer than expected and leaves the patrons bored as there is not much else they can do as they wait. Toilets too need to be improved. Given the attention paid to the food, one wonders why this aspect was neglected.

All in all, it is a good place to go for a small meal. The menu is growing but the strength of chef Imtiaz and his team is the local fare, especially the seafood and he would do well to stick to it. The restaurant can be a possible venue for small gatherings like office lunches or dinners where the whole place can be booked. Given the personalised attention, if this would not impress your guests, what would?

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2014.

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