Restaurant Review: Chatterpaul's Whitby

Nestled into a nondescript plaza in a nondescript neighbourhood of the equally nondescript town of Whiteby (sic), one will find, from the outside at least, a nondescript and unpretentious restaurant by the name of Chatterpaul's.  The restaurant opened in 2008 and is run by Chef James Thomas-Chatterpaul and partner Penny Johansen.  The interior is a clean and contemporary modern bistro with dark wood, brushed metals and frosted glass.  The lighting is modern and elegant and subdued, which can not be said about the crowd.

The restaurant was busy and noisy when we arrived, my usual 15 minutes early.  We were offered a seat at the crowded bar while our table was being prepared.  The hostess checked on us and updated us accordingly, but no effort was made to offer us drinks.  The table was made ready within ten minutes and we were seated prior to our actual reservation time.  Taya commented that the hostess was very pleasant and smiled a lot; I agreed.

Our waitress was just as pleasant, even if she struggled to hide the effects of stress from a busy night.  We were offered drinks: I ordered a beer and Taya a Shirley Temple both of which arrived promptly with our menus.  Chatterpaul's provides two menus, a main menu and a dinner feature's menu which I assume is revised from time to time as it comes as a separate piece of paper.  However, there is no indication that it is modified or how often.  Appetizers on the main menu average $13-14 with the highest being $17-18.  The mains average $25-28 with the highest priced items in the $30-40 range.  The dinner features menu is similarly priced.

By way of comparison, when looking for a restaurant to take Taya, Biff's Bistro was also mentioned.  Biff's menu runs about the same average as does the wine and cocktail list.  Biff's also offers a three course prix-fixe menu for $33 per person, so Chatterpaul's has priced themselves in the upper level of Toronto's upscale bistro eating.

Taya decided to order from the main menu so I chose to order from the features menu.  Taya's appetizer was a flash fried calamari ($13) and I order the crab and shrimp egg roll ($15).   The calamari was  not what the impression of a "flash fried" would suggest, I was expecting something delicate and lightly battered but what came was a typical battered and fried calamari which lacked any of the herbs and spices (at least evidence of any) promised on the menu.  The chipotle ketchup aioli was a nice accompaniment.  The features menu promised a shrimp and crab stuffed egg roll with wasabi, ginger, lemon aioli and rice wine infused slaw.  What I received were two small mushy, cylindrical shaped crab cakes wrapped in pastry which was made soggy by a puddle of brownish-red liquid at the bottom of my bowl.  I failed to detect any of the wasabi or ginger.

For a main dish Taya received the Seafood Pasta Medley ($35) while I went with the Curried Lamb and Shrimp ($25).  Once again the promises of the menus did not match the reality on the plates.  I was promised flavours of ginger, coconut and cilantro but what I was served was a roti style, earthy flavoured curry over linguine which was supposed to be cilantro infused but tasted more confused than infused.  The lamb was cooked very well and and was tender and flavourful, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the portions huge.  The three shrimp on top were a meal in themselves and the curry was well spiced, something I admire in curry.  But the dish just seemed to lack a brightness and the pasta failed as partner to the curry, perhaps a lime infused rice would have been better.   Some evidence of some vegetables would also have been nice, this was a protein and carb heavy dish in need of some brightness to cut the heaviness.

Taya's promise was "mussels, shrimp, clams, salmon and squid in a delicate angel hair pasta with morsels of fresh vegetables in a white wine, spinach, garlic, olive oil sauce."  I would have described it more as a seafood stir fry on angel hair pasta.  Again the food was cooked properly, arrived hot, and was a large portion (Taya only ate about a third).  But the promised flavours seemed to be lacking.  The pasta was less sauced than wetted by a thin flavourless moistness.  To me the description of "morsels of vegetables" would suggest bite sized pieces of vegetable, not a few snow peas thrown in.  Taya is not a fan of salmon and perhaps she will read a dish's description more closely in the future, but I love salmon and I too felt that it was an interloper in this dish.  The pasta was perfectly cooked, the shrimp were huge and the molluscs were cooked perfectly tender and delicate, as was the salmon. It just seems that the dish was left wanting of something more, or maybe less.

I wanted something more, also.  I wanted to fall in love with Chatterpaul's and when I walked through the door I wanted to fall in love even more.  My sister and brother-in-law raved about the food and the service and the extras.  A friend at work confirmed the description and yet my experience left me wondering if I had gone to the wrong nondescript plaza or if I was in the wrong nondescript town.  The service was prompt, courteous, friendly and professional but, I failed to experience any of the "extras" that others had experienced.  I was told that the food was vibrant and eclectic and modern and exotic, only to experience a kind of trying-too-hard.  The kitchen did demonstrate some skill in terms of preparation, but I think they would do well to narrow their focus and perhaps rethink the fusion of some of their dishes.  Now, you might argue that I should have ordered something that is considered a signature dish, but since I was a first timer I wouldn't know what that would be and none of the staff went to the trouble of enlightening me.

Chatterpaul's is priced at or above Biff's Bistro, and I assume they want to be a bistro judging by the napkin wrapped cutlery and casual atmosphere.  But, at Biff's I could have fresh oysters for $1 each, any Canadian wine and some imports by the glass, and a three course meal for $33 all served with the typical Oliver and Bonacini quality one expects.  If Chatterpaul's wants to compete in that market they need to step up their game, narrow their focus and concentrate on matching the food on the plate with the promises on the menu.  In the end Taya gave them a generous rating of 4 out of 5 I, however would rate them a 3-3.5.

Decor and Atmosphere:  4.5
Service:  4
Wine List:  3.5

Food
Flavour:   3.5
Presentation:  3
Portion Size:  4
Price:              $$$$

Overall:  3-3.5

Ratings are out of 5.  Price ratings are out of $$$$$ with $ being McDonalds and $$$$$ being Auberge de Pommier

Chatterpaul's is located at 3500 Brock St. N. Whitby (North of Rossland South of Taunton) 905-665-7575 for reservations.