You might have thought it was dicey for Vaibhav Vishen to leave his successful job as head chef at Wellington’s Double Tree by Hilton to open a restaurant during a pandemic.

“If you’re not taking risks in business, you’re an employee – of your fear,” the Cordon Bleu alumnus tells Broadsheet. “I’ve always had a desire to create something, whether that’s employment for the economy or introducing New Zealanders to the amazing cuisine India has to offer. My wife’s insistence, plus the pandemic, gave me the push I needed.”

Chaat Street by Vaibhav Vishen opened in April this year. The 32-seat restaurant is in a heritage building along Victoria Street, which connects the business precinct of Lambton Quay to pedestrian-heavy Cuba Street.

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Inside, the fit-out features original beams and fixtures with added pops of turquoise and reds – bright colours traditionally used by Indian street food vendors to attract potential customers. Vendors line their carts with newspapers, says Vishen, who moved to New Zealand from Kashmir nine years ago, so the kitchen tabletop features newspapers imported from India.

The aim was to create a space that was unpretentious, simple, welcoming and steeped in history. “I did not want it to be hip and perfect, I wanted it to look like a ‘mom’n’pop’ setup that focused on churning out amazing food to people. It’s all in the details.”

Chaat Street’s menu focuses on Indian and South Asian street food dishes. Street food vendors traditionally offer a single dish, says Vishen, but his restaurant aims to be a hub for a variety of dishes from different regions.

Everything is served tapas-style so you can try a bunch of different things. “Food tastes better when it’s shared, so it’s a chance to offer an eclectic mix of genuine street food dishes under one roof.”

Indian food, he says, is often misrepresented outside the region; it tends to be adapted to suit different palates when it comes to the West. “It’s not a bad thing, but I wanted to stay true to what Indian food means to me and to challenge those misconceptions.”

Take “curry”, for example – a concept that doesn’t really exist in Indian cuisine and which, in the West, can mean dishes drenched in sugar and cream. “[These types of] curries appear to be a staple in [many] Indian restaurants here, but they're not back home.”

Focusing on street food was a gamble, he says but it also “felt more palatable in a literal and figurative sense. I wanted to introduce genuine Indian food one bite at a time.”

Take the non-alcoholic beverage nimbu pani. The lemonade-like drink with lemon, roasted cumin and vanilla has a flavour profile that’s sweet, salty and savoury. “It’s like a dish in and of itself. I didn’t think it would land well, but I’ve now got regulars coming in wanting that and only that.”

While the menu changes regularly, you might find aloo tikki chaat – a potato-heavy dish that’s packed with crunch. The potatoes are cooked over a skillet and smothered in jaggery-sweetened yoghurt, tamarind, coriander and mint chutney. It’s garnished with freshly julienned ginger, herbs and crisp lentils.

The kanti is a popular lamb dish from Kashmir. Chaat Street’s version is marinated in stages in a laborious eight-to-12-hour process. It’s then braised for three to four hours before being tossed in pickled red onions and tomatoes.

An eclectic cocktail menu includes a playful bubblegum-flavoured Martini made with vodka, bubblegum syrup and egg white, plus classics such as a Chilli Margarita and Mint Julep.

Chaat Street
99 Victoria Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Hours:
Wed & Thur 11am–8.30pm
Fri & Sat 11am–9pm
Sun 11am–8pm

@chaatstreetwlg

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