I remember the very first time I tasted Indian food. I was maybe 14, and it was on a visit to California to see my sister who was living there with her husband. During our stay, my new brother-in-law, who grew up in New Delhi, arranged a special Indian feast prepared by some family friends. I think I fell in love with Indian food with that first bite of fiery red tandoori chicken. Over the years, we’ve always had some family in India, and I hope to get there soon to visit my niece, who lives there with her husband, Adil Hussain, an Indian actor. Missing her — and in honor of seeing Hussain in “Life of Pi” — we decided to go out as a family for Indian and took a chance on Chatni, which opened on Bloomfield Ave., in Montclair at the end of December.
Chatni occupies the former space vacated by Mondo/Gencarelli. The space is simple, with exposed brick, crisp white tablecloths, and an Indian couple cavorting on a wall hanging.
Chatni’s menu features the usual suspects — korma, jalfrezi, vindaloo, tikka masala — as well as one of my favorite, hard-to-find breads — the one stuffed with sweet fruit and nuts. What we tried and liked: chicken korma ($13.95) cooked in a creamy onion sauce and studded with cashews and raisins; the bindi masala ($12.95), nuggets of spiced okra, onions and peppers; and the sizzling Chatni special sampler ($9.95) a mix of chicken, lamb and fish all roasted and serve with mint and raita. The kids tried and loved – samosas and of course, tandoori chicken.
On a second visit for takeout we discovered the biryani. This Indian comfort food is done exceptionally well at Chatni (this rice dish can get monotonous if not made properly, but this one was). Each bite burst with flavor, tender chunks of meat, savory vegetables and lots of spice throughout, all topped off with the traditional hard boiled egg.
All the dishes we tried at Chatni Montclair were beautifully presented and the service was very attentive — maybe even a little too attentive, as new restaurants eager to please can sometimes be. To end the meal, the menu offered traditional Indian desserts, but we opted for the mango ice cream, a perfect cooling finish to the meal (we like our Indian food spicy, but Chatni will ask your level — mild, medium or hot).
A test of a good meal for me is how well you can remember the flavors when you try to days later. If I use my powers of food memory, it’s easy to conjure up the dishes we tried at Chatni — so easy that I almost taste the spice, the warmth. It’s a memory that makes you want to taste some more.
Chatni, 381 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, 973-337 5753. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.
I remember the first time I tasted Indian food, I was like 40 years old and to this day I still regret not trying it earlier. I love it.
Amen, herb.
Is this place buffet- During lunch maybe? The last picture of the huge dishes of food reminds me of the buffet Indian places in the city. I would think that would be tougher to pull off in Montclair though.
Sort of odd that it opened up right next to Aroma, which is only a few doors away from another Indian restaurant.
Brick Lane has become my Indian staple in town, though I’d be open to trying a newer place especially since their prices seem more reasonable.
Herb – I remember feeling that way about sushi and Thai.
Budmanzz – I think they do a lunch menu, not a buffet. The portions were enough both times for leftovers.
budmanzz-
Natraj & Satish both have lunch buffets during the week. Brick Lane is my go to Indian restaurant as well. After the Phaal Challenge, I like to pop my head in to watch others take it on. A little about the Phaal Challenge:
“I’m glad I did it. Partly because it was worth it, but wholly because I’ll never have to do it again.” – Mark Twain
Brick Lane has mediocre Indian at best. Must visit Jersey City & Parissipanny for anything respectable nearby. Try Amiya on Rt 46 for comparison and stop raving about mediocre food in Montclair. Make the restaurant improve its standards not the consumer decrease there own.
REL- This website is hyper local. We cannot comment on areas outside this bubble. Obviously if I wanted authentic Indian I would go to Edison & Parsippany, but I don’t usually travel 15 miles for a bite to eat. If you consider Jersey City as part of your dining radius, then we might as well talk about Little India in the East Village and say that Panna II Garden is the best Indian food around. But to stay relevant to the story, we have to agree that there is no world outside of Baristaville and we can only compare restaurants within the towns covered.
I and my friend Jason hit up Chatni on New Year’s day, and were we ever delighted! Up until now, I’d have said that the best Indian food in Montclair is served at the Brick Lane Curry House, but I’m forced to admit Chatni has them beat all around. I’ve had some good Indian meals at Satish and at Brick Lane, but not since the venerable Udupi Village left Montclair a couple of years ago have I had such a mouth-watering experience as I did at this wonderful new establishment. Chatni occupies the space formerly had by Gaucho Argentine steakhouse and Gencarelli’s, right across Bloomfield Avenue from the Wellmost.
I enjoyed the Boti Tikka Masalan (cubed lamb tandoori-cooked in a creamy but delicate tomato-onion sauce) and my companion had the Navratna Korma, consisting of mixed vegetables cooked in creamy onion sauce and topped off with cashews and raisins. Samosas and pakoras served as our appetizers. The Naan was a bread-lover’s dream.
Everything was perfectly seasoned to our requests, service was prompt and pleasant (if a bit inexperienced, but in a charmingly engaging fashion!), portions were beyond generous, and Chatni’s delightful owner, a Nepali gentleman, was most welcoming and solicitous of our needs and wants while we were his guests. Also, the price tag for our feast was quite modest indeed.
Did not know about this place. Can’t wait to try it.
There has been a hole in my tummy since Taj Palace burned down and was never resurrected. My one attempt at Brick Lane take-out was underwhelming and pricey….although I admit it deserved at least one more chance.
Biryani is a traditional festival dish. A dish generally associated with celebration, something that is served to honor guests. A dish that only experienced cooks/chefs take the courage to attempt. When done right, the aroma of a half decent Biryani gently caresses one’s senses as you pull your car into the driveway of the house.
Unfortunately the cobblers of India/Pakistan have become cooks and chefs at Indo/Pak restaurants here. Hence what we get, is at best, synthesized Biryani (yes even at Chatni). Whereas authentic Biryani is a rice & meat casserole, painstakingly made over half a day from raw ingredient that includes pricey saffron. Biryani here is assembled from blending precooked rice with a soupy stew. Sadly the flavor is obtained by sprinkling some “imitation biryani flavor”. This version of Biryani which is served at most restaurants in US was invented at road side shacks in Dubai to feed hungry day laborers at construction sites.
Biryani is a like “Taj Mahal”, a wonder of the world. Biryani at Chatni is a condemned building.
Just had to comment comment on my first experience with Chatni. I cook Indian food because I love the freshness of the spices and herbs. I don’t typically write reviews since I owned my own restaurant, in Montclair and actually in the same space so I didn’t want to play favorites. Everyone has asked me my opinion on Chatni and I told them I would give it when I had tasted the food. Since I am between CA AND NJ so it’s been hard to get there. I am very picky about freshness and wanting to taste the flavors. So, I ordered mine mild which is what I typically do in an Indian restaurant. We had Samosa, Makhani Daal, Began Bhatar(I think) great eggplant dish, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tikka Kabob, Onion Kulcha and Alu Gobi with great fragrant basmati rice and delicious sweets made there. Hats off to the Chef and the new owners Ram and Satish. The food was so fresh and I could taste all the wonderful herbs and spices. My fiancee loved the fact it wasn’t dripping with oil like so many other indian restaurants tend to do. My all time favorite used to be Taj Palace and they are right up there maybe even better on some dishes. Chef said they will be featuring some Thai and Chinese fusion in a few weeks and will open the patio soon. Congratulations to Ram and Satish on working your way to the top in a foodie town. They even deliver. Give them a try I believe you will be impressed with the quality. As a new business they are very open to getting feedback from their customers.
Best of luck!!
Debbie Gencarelli