By Katherine McGlinchey
It’s no surprise Chilcha was voted restaurant of the year at the 2009 Worthing Business Awards. That’s because - pure and simple - the food there is excellent.
Situated in what is known as the West End of Worthing, this two-year-old restaurant is a real delight. The owner, manager and head chef is Mohammed Wahid, who has clearly worked hard to make the experience of dining there as good as the food.
“My family and I had been living in London for a long time. I owned a restaurant there but after a while we thought it would be nice to go somewhere else.
“I began looking everywhere for somewhere to open a restaurant, and then I found this place. “It’s in a nice area – it’s right by the sea which is lovely – and business has been very good from the start. It’s fantastic.”
From the moment you walk in, it is obvious Chilcha offers something more than the traditional Indian experience. With its modern décor – bright orange, red and white seats, spotlights and a flat screen television showing Bollywood films – it is clearly not your average high street curry house.
On the day we visited all the napkins on the tables were elegantly folded into the shape of candles; just one of many little touches adding to the contemporary feel of the place.
Then there’s the menu. It offers all the classics people expect when they choose an Indian restaurant, but also plenty of dishes that can’t be found anywhere else.
There’s a dazzling array of dishes, which made choosing what to order quite a lengthy process.
We started with some papadums which come with a tray of chutneys.
For a starter, my partner enjoyed the lamb somosa, with pasty he found to be light and crispy.
I tried the palak ponir pakura, which I had never seen on an Indian menu before, and it was absolutely delicious. It was three crispy round balls made out of spinach, onions and cheese, and they alone would make a visit to Chilcha worthwhile.
For mains, we had a lamb sagwala, a medium dish with spinach, and a tawa masala – chicken breast with onions, garlic, peppers, spices and coriander which, when combined, give a medium flavour.
To accompany them we had pilau rice, a peshwari naan bread and a side dish of sag aloo – potato and spinach.
Everything was served piping hot and was incredibly tasty. Unlike other curries I’ve tasted, both the lamb and the chicken in Chilcha’s dishes were very tender.
Mohammed is a busy man. Six days a week he gets up to prepare much of what can be found on Chilcha’s menu. Many of the dishes feature ingredients which are closely-guarded secrets, so while he does work alongside another chef to prepare the food and cook it nightly, Mohammed likes to do much of the work himself.
He has created beautiful signature dishes, including starters of chingri lajawab – tiger prawns cooked in a sweet chilli sauce, and honey lamb chops. While a couple of the mains unique to Chilcha are hiran champan – diced venison cooked in a medium sauce, and slay the dragon – pineapple-flavoured honey glazed quails on the bone cooked in a clay oven.
To get inspiration for his dishes, Mohammed makes regular trips to India to sample fresh ingredients. He also loves to eat out, tasting cuisine from around the world to give him ideas for new dishes. A particular favourite is Thai food – which might explain the sweet and sour-style offerings on the menu.
But even with an award-winning menu, Mohammed is not content to stand still as he continues to think of more things to get customers flooding through the doors. At the end of last year he held his first Bollywood night and it was so successful he’s doing it again on February 8. For just £13, guests will get to watch a Bollywood movie projected onto a big screen and will be served an Indian buffet. It promises to be a great night, and if it’s anything like when we visited, it certainly will be.
- Chilcha is at 154 Montague Street, Worthing. It is open seven days a week from noon to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to midnight.
To book a table, order a takeaway or book the Bollywood film night, call 01903 200150/210300. For more information, visit www.chilcha.com