Indian Haven in Brookside

If you want to travel to the land of Arabian Nights, exotic bazaars and curry-infused cuisine look no further than Chai Shai.  Chai Shai is an Indian and Pakistani influenced restaurant run and operated by a Pakistani family. The head chef is an elderly woman who lived in Pakistan for most of her life.

In the heart of Brookside, Missouri, Chai Shai is located in the middle of a neighborhood setting. It is surrounded by houses except for the row of about four stores.Walking in the front door of Chai Shai I was immediately hit with the  overpowering aroma of curry. The spicy smell wafts through the room and onto your clothes, nose and hands until it’s the only scent you can detect. The size of the restaurant may add to the effect of the smell of Middle Eastern spices. It’s relatively small, but the dim lighting, sleek tables and outdoor patio make the space seem more open.

My friend and I were seated at the front of the restaurant. Right after we were seated, we ordered Chai Shai’s famous appetizers — vegetable samosas. Samosas are a fried, flour-based pastries stuffed with either a vegetable or meat-based content. Unlike a typical sit-down restaurant, Chai Shai requires you to order at the bar.

Because of the spice in the food, I needed at least seven glasses to try to put out the fire in my mouth.

Chai Shai started out as a catering business for only samosas. As they gained popularity, customers started requesting dinner dishes, eventually launching the restaurant.

The vegetable samosa we ordered was stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas, corn and cilantro. The “spiced” flavor came from the Indian spices, but the real kick came from the green chili pepper sauce it was served with. Although the chili sauce was hot from the pureed green chili peppers, it had a sweet undertaste with a hint of mint that toned down the spice.

As an entree, we decided to split the achari chicken. Achari chicken consists of whole pieces of chicken (some with bone some without) cooked in a pickling sauce. I was a little worried the pickling sauce would taste like pickles but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The sauce was minimal in pickle flavor and strong in the curry flavor. To tone down the spiciness of curry I poured a sweet and seasoned yogurt sauce, called ratha, on top of the chicken. The  pickling actually ended up giving the chicken a tart and tangy flavor. It was delicious and tasted similar to the popular Indian chicken dish, chicken masala.

Before going to Chai Shai, Indian and Pakistani food is not something I would have thought to eat regularly, but this restaurant changes that. After experiencing both the food and ambiance it would be a mistake to not come back. The unique flavors and dishes served at Chai Shai  set it apart and above other Indian restaurants.