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Happiness on a Plate - at Chilcha

‘Chilcha’ – it’s the Bengali word for ‘happiness’. And after tasting a selection of dishes on the menu at this superb restaurant in Worthing’s Montague Street, we can certainly see why. As a nation, we Brits have been curry lovers for over a century and, of course, we have our favourites. But does that mean we’re never allowed to try any new Indian flavours? Absolutely not.

At Chilcha we decided to give this exotic menu a serious whirl, and started with two contrasting prawn dishes. Chingri Lajawab are tiger prawns cooked in a hot, zingy chilli sauce and Roshoni Chingri are the king size variety, steamed and stir fried with garlic and spring onion. Both tickled the tastebuds admirably, but it wasn’t until we moved on to the main courses that we realised the secret of these astonishing dishes.

There’s none of that cloying creaminess or blast-the-roof-of-your-mouth heat you may have experienced elsewhere. These flavours actually creep up on you slowly, so the first taste you get is certainly not the whole story.

We loved Peshwari Dun Gosht – large chunks of tender lamb cooked with yogurt, onion and spices and served in a traditional metal pot with a chapatti lid. Khatta Khargosh was fabulous, too - boneless pieces of rabbit in onion yogurt gravy, tempered with a mix of spices that’s hot, sour and full of pzazz. If you’re a chicken fan, try Tatula – it’s served with green chillis, peppers, coriander and the chef’s special sauce that’s highly unusual, and completely delicious.

And if, like me, you love a dish with a tale attached, you have to try Slay the Dragon. The fearsome beast in question is none other than a quail, cooked whole and on the bone in a pineapple honey glaze, served with a specially blended sauce, giving these tiny birds plenty of muscle power they never knew they had. It’s a culinary joke of the highest order, and my favourite dish of the evening.
Chilcha Indian Restaurant also serves an excellent express lunch for just £4.95 per person. And check out the Banquet Nights, too, on Wednesday and Thursday – when you can sample an all-inclusive feast at £9.95 per person.

You’ll find Chilcha at 154 Montague Street. Call 01903 200150 to book your table, or visit www.chilcha.com.

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