Not straying too far from its curry-loving-ness St. Ives has recently acquired a quirky, new, Indian tea shop called Chai Kai which also serves 'Indian style tapas'. I've got to say I couldn't see the idea working in what is essentially a very sleepy town but it really does.
The menu includes a range of street food style dishes from curries to wraps and salads. They also have a large menus of house blend teas which include vanilla chai and spiced cardamom. Me and my sister Amy opted both for wraps and we chose the lamb kofte and the paneer. Both come with a lovely side salad and house 'Indian mayonnaise' - yum!
The food was delicious and the tea refreshing and unusual. I was really impressed with the service and the way the restaurant was laid out, using simple Bollywood posters, hand painted wall art and beautiful low, dim lighting. This eatery could easily be seen in a quirky side street in Soho. The food and drinks were presented in a unique mix of Classic Indian teapots and Swedish style orange strainers. I was so impressed with desert too which was a white chocolate and pistachio samosa. It came with the most stunning vanilla ice cream and was a very generous portion.
The staff were attentive, helpful and friendly and yet didn't 'over fuss'. The food is reasonably priced and a light lunch with pudding and drinks set us back around £22 - not bad at all given you're getting freshly prepared food.
I would highly recommend Chai Kai, I can't wait to return for lunch/dinner soon as I believe this would make the perfect place for a meal with friends, family or even just for a quiet cup of tea alone.
