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Chatterpaul's
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
4 reviews for Chatterpaul's
4 reviews in English
-
Review from Scuba B.
Whitby, ON
3/28/2010 5 photos
ChatterPaul's is an exciting and vibrant Place.
Finally had a chance to try Chatterpaul's which I had heard was excellent and it certainly delivered. (I rated it as french but that isnt quite right)
Service, decor and ambiance is first rate and it is a buzzing vibrant place with full tables involved in conversations and a kitchen that is open to the restaurant which adds excitement and a connection to the food being prepared by Co-owner & Chef James (Chadman) Thomas-Chatterpaul.
The Menu is varied with a variety of fresh seafood and other meats.
After being seated we were served our drinks and offered an Amuse Bouche from the kitchen in the form of braised beef over cous cous and a spinach leaf which was a tasty surprise and not common in many Durham Region restaurants (wish it was).
We were presented with two menu's - The standard dinner menu and the feature menu. We were also told about a couple of the features of the night as well. One was steak and lobster and the other was Chilean Sea bass which I asked about and was informed it was farm raised, which I hope was the case as our oceans are under incredible pressures and Chilean Seabass is on the edge of extinction, so I applaud their consideration of this issue.
We chose the features:
Grilled Halibut Filet of halibut crusted with tomato courgette mounded over spinach beetroot laced risotto with morels of lobster meat. This was prepared perfectly and the risotto was very creative and delicious and it looked amazing. (I got a slight bite)
My meal was an indulgence of Steak and lobster with a NY strip and a whole cooked lobster served beautifully presented with mascarpone mash potatoes and a brandy beef stock reduction. There was also a delicious cauliflower/rutabaga puree and rapini (aka broccoli rabe ) as well as a large bowl of clarified butter for the lobster.
Final thoughts - We will definitely be going back here when our budget permits as it is a a vibrant and good place to eat. The reason I did not give it 5 stars is that this is not a budget place to eat so it gets a MUCH more critical eye from my side and these include.
Negatives - My lobster was a bit tough (might have been the lobster..) and the NY strip which cut far too thin especially for a $50 entree and this resulted in a tougher steak even though I did order it medium rare which it was in the very middle, but was a small band through the middle and I would have preferred a thicker cut steak even if smaller.
Finally - I do not like menus without prices and the dessert menu had none on it which is minor issue, but I feel put off if I have to ask. I wondered after if dessert was actually included and perhaps I missed out, but no one told us and I refused to ask. Also there were three of the five desserts had white chocolate in them and they may have been great, but I am not a fan of white chocolate (its not actually chocolate and is not to my taste).
Positives - Atmosphere, diverse menu, fresh ingredients, food quality, service, Gluten free by request.
Overall a very nice restaurant and their website is very good to show you the place, I would recommend it and yes we will be going back for another try. -
Review from Yvonne T.
Part of my 'burbs dining experiences that occurs once a month with my high school English teacher, Ms. B. Yes, I art a Nerd (with a capital N). With 6:30PM reservations in hand, we proceeded to CP. They call you a day in advance to confirm your reservation so make sure you confirm, or you may be sans table when you arrive.
CP is located in a strip mall on Brock Street in Whitby. I should've seen this as a prophetic sign as to what to expect. Most restaurants located in a mall, strip or not, aren't the type that will knock your socks off or float your boat. Parking was plentiful.
We were greeted by the hostess who proceeded to tell us "You are aware of the 8:30PM reservation after you right?" Um... no. Nobody bothered to tell us that, not at the time of reservation, nor at the time of confirmation. Deduct 1 star.
We were promptly seated and our server for the night greeted us. Ms. B likes her white wines, so we always order a half litre of whatever their house white is. The house white at CP's is a bit pricier than other places, $23 for a half litre.
Instead of a bread basket, CP offers up an amuse-bouche; it was everything BUT amusing. It was a sad, braised beef with a square of puff pastry on top. It looked like something out of a grocery store freezer. For me, the amuse-bouche is a teaser is a teaser, the chance to showcase creativity and culinary expertise. But I guess when comparing it to a bread basket, it is mildly more "amusing."
We ended up having a 3-course meal to share, as I try to give full reviews which encompass the entire experience.
To start, we ordered the "Chattercake" & Greens which is prepared with lump crab meat & vegetables blended with "Chatterpaul's Kitchen" spices accompanied by fennel, pineapple, celeriac & tomato salad w/ pepitas & flax seed, with pineapple, mango chutney. Our salad didn't have any tomato in it as per the description. It was a very flavorful salad with many different Indian spices. Texturally, this was a very interesting salad. What I first assumed to be pieces of Bibb Lettuce turned out to be fried rice paper (somebody turn up the lights or get me a new presecription?). It reminded me of really really thin prawn chips that you could get at the Chinese grocery stores. Instead of flax seed, they used Pumpkin Seeds which gave a nice nuttiness to the salad. Overall, a great salad.
For our main, we ordered the Chilean Sea Bass served over lobster and beetroot-infused risotto. We were informed after ordering the dish that the chef now prepares it differently than as stated. Instead, it would be served in a tomato-cream sauce with mushroom ravioli. I guess the chef is getting lazy and mushroom ravioli is probably less time-consuming to make then "beetroot-infused risotto." For $35, I felt this dish was overpriced. The dish, first and foremost, was only slightly warm, and had probably been sitting on a heating plate while we were finishing up our salad. It came with 3 pieces of mushroom ravioli, and the lobster meat got drowned in the huge sea of tomato-cream sauce. So we pretty much paid $35 for a generous serving of tomato-cream sauce. Second star deduction.
They do not have a dessert menu, but your server will recite you the desserts. We ended up getting the Chocolate Eruption Cake which has a brownie crust, and is a chocolate cheesecake on top served with whipped cream and berries. I think that the whipped cream came together wonderfully with the cheesecake, and only wished that they were more generous with the serving of whipped cream. We also ordered a decaf and cappuccino; both of which were not hot enough. I should also mention the lack of attention to detail, as the foam from my cappuccino had overflowed onto the saucer and was served to me that way. I guess they thought that I would deem it as some sort of "artistic" presentation.... NOT
Our server was pretty attentive throughout the evening. Our water glasses were topped up, and she was always available when we needed her. However, she seemed to always have a perplexed/stressed look on her face whenever we flagged her down; the poor girl!
There was one noteworthy occurrence tonight; which would've been that Penny (who appears to be the restaurant manager) came over to our table and greeted us. She informed me she was the one who took my reservation over the phone and asked how everything was and thanked us for joining them for dinner tonight.
All in all, CP is trying to be the happening and fancy restaurant of Whitby. It is definitely a happening place to go for dinner with a date or friends. But for God's sakes, if you're going to try to be all high class, don't use plastic flowers anywhere! All their flowers inside and outside the restaurant were plastic. Just cheapens the place. If you want to pay a premium for ambiance for undersized portions and okay food, by all means, come to Chatterpaul's! -
Review from Steve N.
4/1/2011
I've eaten here twice and am really impressed. I most recently had the seabass over mushroom ravioli with a lobster cream sauce. My business associates, also particular about food, had the Chatter Ribs, which looked like a giant roast on a bone but was tender and lean. We also had the ribeye at the table and it was a generous size, with lobster mac and cheese. This is our go-to place in Whitby. Not on the cheap side - each entree was $35, but they do have Mill St Organic beer on tap.
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Review from Mike W.
Whitby, ON
9/23/2011
My wife and I have been here twice. Once with another couple and once on our own. On both occasions, I can honestly say that the service was wonderful and the atmosphere warm and comfortable. They've got a nice spot going there. Especially surprising since it is located in a strip mall. Definitely a "can't judge a book by it's cover" sort of thing.
As for the food, it's an interesting thing. Rarely have I criticized a chef for trying "too hard". But such is the case here. It seems that everything served goes one step too far. Restraint is definitely not the order of the day.
Case in point. Every meal seems to be garnished to the hilt and said garnish is definitely chosen for it's appearance and not as a flavour compliment. It's a tad too much.
Another example of this over kill was on our first visit. I ordered the rack of lamb and my wife ordered a curry noodle dish. After a few minutes, the server came back to the table to explain to me that the chef was not satisfied with the quality of the lamb that night and didn't feel comfortable serving it - impressive, so long as that wasn't code for "we ran out". However, she did suggest what was described as a nicely aged (45 days) sirloin that the chef highly recommended. I'm in. The meal arrived and I was pleasantly surprised by the cut of meat in front of me. It was a beautiful looking steak and I couldn't wait to dig in, but before I could, our server proceeded to ceremoniously drown my steak in some sort of "house" sauce. I couldn't believe it. This beautiful piece of meat was now swimming in what I could only describe as a homemade HP sauce. I was pretty disappointed. Who does that? Maybe offer it as a side option or at least ask before you pour it all over the meat. Once again, taking the showmanship one step too far.
Now this is all sounding pretty negative and I do want to say that on both evenings my wife very much enjoyed her meals as did my friends. We had a nice time and the food was anything but awful - I just wish they'd realize that good food can be simple, so long as it is well prepared - which they seem very capable of doing.
We will go back for sure and perhaps next time I'll ask them to hold the sauce, beets, frilly garnish and other accoutrements. I just wish I didn't have to.
