Chilis Restaurant is recently opened in the Newlands Mall just behind the fast finishing New World supermarket. Open for takeaways and as a fully licensed sit down restaurant with bar that seats 40, Chilis has a wide range of Indian cuisine to appeal to all tastes.
The owners state that the restaurant offers a sophisticated fine dining experience with effortlessly charming staff, discrete service and tantalising food that few can compete with.
I haven’t yet had the chance to sample the menu, and as a staunch Curry to Go patron, it will take a bit for me to change. They do, however, offer beef madras – something I’ve been pining for since curry to go took beef off the menu.
The Chilis menu can be viewed here and it is extensive!!
Does Chilis Stand up to the taste test?
I ordered takeaways last Friday night, forgoing my usual Curry to Go in order to test out the menu at Chilis.
Good points
# free delivery – It was a ghastly night and the fact that I didn’t have to change out of my ugg boots and give up my space in front of the woodburner was a definite draw card.
# Good portion size – There was food to spare after my wife and I filled our tummys.
# Onion Bhaji – yum! A bit greasy but the plum-esque sauce was tasty.
# Garlic naan – freshly cooked and still mildly warm when delivered.
#fast service – the gentleman on the phone suggested the order would take 40 minutes (way more than the usual 15 mins I’ve come to expect from Curry to Go). However, the delivery turned up on my door in 25 mins.
# extensive menu options – a huge menu with a large number of unique dishes I haven’t discovered yet.
Not so Good Points
# I had the choice of mild, medium or hot.
Lamb Madras – I ordered medium but the heatometer barely registered any chilli hit.
Chicken Rogan Josh – again there wasn’t enough heat in the dish.
# far too much sugar and salt and not enough fresh spice used.
In summary
Overall, both my wife and I were let down by the dishes we chose. We both were left struggling to wade through the gravy and felt that both dishes missed the sparkle of fresh ingredients. Both dishes felt like they’d come from big vats that had been brewing all day. I’m not sure if I’ll be ordering my dishes in a big hurry and am already looking forward to my Curry to Go usuals this Firday. My favs? Chicken Jalfrezzi, Rogan Josh, and Madras.