Hygiene is the buzzword at this eatery, which promises to offer ‘street food’ redefined. Picture by Eastern Projections

Chat Bazar

Surya Mahal,
B. Barooah Road

Why Chat Bazar?

What this place offers, is “street food” redefined. Those who savour the diverse flavours — tangy, juicy, spicy or sweet — of chat, can now relish it in the comfortable and spacious environs of Chat Bazar.

The USP of the newly opened eatery is the attention paid to hygiene while preparing the mouth-watering chats. “We use only packaged drinking water to prepare the items, to avoid diseases of any kind,” explained the manager of the eatery.

“Most complain of having developed either viral or bacterial infections after taking chat from roadside stalls. This is because there is no quality control when it comes to roadside vendors.”

Cuisine

The joint specialises in typical Indian cuisine “for Indians, by Indians and of Indians”, summed up the manager.

Service

Traditionally dressed stewards welcome you to the joint, which remains open from 11 am to 11 pm throughout the week. Visitors can watch as the cooks prepare the dishes. The stress on hygiene shows. It is mandatory for cooks to don gloves and caps during duty hours.

First Impression

The décor of the eatery, complete with glass walls and wood and wrought iron furniture, is trendy and neat. There is plenty of leg space, which is a plus point for visitors with kids running around the place.

On The Menu

The eatery offers a special buffet, where one needs to pay just Rs 55 for seven varieties of chat. At Rs 65, one can enjoy seven varieties of chat along with ice cream and cold drinks.

A mere Rs 35 will fetch three types of chat, as well as cold drinks. Foodies can also gorge on raj kachori, masala kachori chat, dahi bhalha, pani puchka, papri chat, alu chat, bhel puri, dahi puchka and sangarha chats, to name a few.

Tangy and crunchy dahi vadas are also on the menu.

Variation

Authentic north-Indian chhola bhatura is one of the specialities here.

Recommended

It is the Punjabi thali that is a must-have for all foodies. At Rs 65 for dal makhani, masala chhole, lachha paratha, pulau Amritsari and pakori raita, the thali is more than reasonable.

Minus point

The eatery could do well to build on the interiors, because, for the discerning food lover, ambience scores high in the overall experience of enjoying a meal outside home.

What’s new?

With innovation as the key, the eatery has at least a hundred new varieties of chat up its sleeve. “The festive season will see some innovative experiments on our part. But that is a secret not to be revealed,” said the manager.

The last word

“I had never dreamt of enjoying hygienic chat in the city, until Chat Bazar came up. Its tempting variety aside, the food served here goes down really well with the taste buds,” said Smita Thakuria, a schoolteacher.