The cocktail lounge will be serving a huge range of chaats, which are described as being Indian-style tapas dishes
A new cocktail lounge serving Indian tapas-styled dishes is opening in Peterborough. Chaat and Chill, which is run by business partners Loyd Luis and Varun Sharma, promises to be “different” from anything people have seen before in Peterborough by serving “good food with a good ambience”.
Mr Luis said the pair have 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry between them and decided to open a new cocktail lounge after recognising a gap in the market for Indian street food. He said: “I’ve been running this Indian restaurant called 1498 The Spice Affair for quite some time now. People seem to love the concept but we are a little bit tucked away. My business partner Mr Sharma runs Glow Golf, which is just across the road. We thought there’s a big demand for Indian street food and cocktails so we wanted to create an Indian cocktail lounge that serves tapas-styled dishes.”
The menu at Chaat and Chill is going to feature a range of traditional breakfast dishes such as parathas, chickpea curries, and masala omelettes that will take inspiration from both the north and south of India. The “main star” of the menu will be the 24 different chaat dishes that Mr Luis said will be varied ranging from samosa chaat to peanut chaat.
When asked about what chaat dishes he would recommend to first time visitors of the lounge, Mr Luis had two options that he loves. He said: “One of my favourite chaats is the samosa chaat. It’s bursting with flavours. It’s got everything you need in there. It’s like a crispy fried samosa with lots of mint yogurt, tamarind, and fresh herbs like coriander and ginger.
“I also love the pani puri. So that is like a crispy hollow puri filled with spicy tamarind water. As soon as you put it in your mouth, it bursts with flavour.”
Mr Luis wants the atmosphere at Chaat and Chill to be “nice and cosy” where people can come in and have some cocktails alongside the small plates. He added: “I don’t think Peterborough has anything like this. It’s going to have a different vibe. I’ve got mellow music in the background and there will be nice comfy chairs. It’ll be very different to any other bars and restaurants in Peterborough.”
The cocktail lounge already has people talking with Mr Luis saying everyone is “really excited”. He continued: “People are looking forward to this new concept in Peterborough because of the culture we have here. It is a very diverse area with a lot of foodies as well so people are really excited”.
Chaat and Chill can be found at 29 Bridge Street in Peterborough. The cocktail lounge will be opening on Saturday, November 29, with the first 100 customers getting a free chai and samosa chaat.
