I arrived at Chatz on a gloomy and yet strangely humid afternoon and very quickly settled into the first comfortable looking chair (there were quite a few on offer), and eagerly awaited what I hoped would be something cold to drink.

Chatz is a full service restaurant and their menu spans a fairly wide variety of food, from Italian to Mexican and a fair bit in between. There were a few desserts available and a decent variety of beverage choices as well.

Considering the weather at the time I chose to try the Chatz Cooler and the Chatz Punch. The Cooler in particular sounded very appealing consisting of apple juice, sparkling water, lemon juice and fresh apple, orange and lemon slices along with some fresh mint leaves to boot, all served in a tall glass with lots of ice.

The apple juice appeared to be the base of the drink with the strong sweetness of apple pushing through quite nicely and this was refreshingly cut off by the other ingredients.
Extremely refreshing and perfect for the irritatingly warm days we seem to be getting so many of lately, I’d recommend trying the Chatz Cooler with just about anything spicy on the menu but you may want to consider ordering dishes which would complement that taste since the sweetness of it would likely interfere with some dishes on the menu. I’d go for spicier fare with this light and refreshing beverage choice.

The Chatz Punch was a heavier drink made up of red grape juice, orange juice and lemon juice mixed with slices of apple, orange and lemon. As you could imagine, there was quite a lot going on with this drink as well although surprisingly, it all comes together quite nicely in a sweet yet citrus filled juice that would probably go well with a wider variety of dishes.
For starters I tried the seafood crepe, consisting of sautéed shrimp, squid and fish served with prawn sauce and bundled up in a thin pancake all tied together with a spring onion.

The emphasis on presentation was evident right away, from the aforementioned spring onion used to tie up the crepe, to dashes of prawn sauce. The crepes themselves were prepared to perfection, I should add. Now normally I’m not one for seafood, as you might have already read, so it’s a big deal when I say that a seafood dish is great. This one actually was quite interesting and if you’re into seafood you will find a lot to like about this dish.

Next up was a standard of sandwich menus everywhere, the grilled chicken sandwich. There’s a lot to say about a sandwich gone wrong but not too much that you could talk about when it’s done right. The portion was large and came with a decent helping of French fries and coleslaw. The sandwich itself had a fair bit of mayonnaise, chicken and cheddar cheese along with the usual foliage, all in respectable portions. Overall a fairly well balanced sandwich, although the bread could have used a bit more toasting (arguably a matter of personal preference).

Finally for dessert I tried the blueberry cheesecake. There was a generous helping of blueberries and cream on this one and that’s always a good start.

Chatz is one of those places that you may end up visiting more than once. The place itself seems fairly private, despite the fact that it is located on a fairly busy street and I’d definitely recommend dropping in for a quiet meal. The plants all along the outer seating area are an especially nice touch, making for a shady hang out spot.
 

(Text and pics by Channa Fernandopulle)