about chantek

background


Chantek means beautiful in Bahasa Malaysia, and pouring or serving in Thai. The restaurant is the outcome of a unique heritage: the owner grew up in Asia and her father, a Cornishman, worked in Asia all his life. Many of the photographs in the restaurant were taken by the owner’s niece, who has lived and travelled extensively in Asia.

ethos


Our philosophy is to buy from local suppliers and to support fair-trade and organic produce. The owners of Chantek set up a charity in Sri Lanka in 2001. Their work covers small local education, health and agricultural projects as well as promoting the philosophy of non-violence and people power. Projects are set up and run by local people all over the island of Sri Lanka (please ask for a leaflet giving further information).

cuisine


Our dishes come from many Asian and Pacific Rim countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Laos. Chantek's chefs are all from South East Asia. Collectively, their experience spans many years, during which their passion for innovative fusion cooking evolved. They have worked at some of the best hotels and resorts in various locations across South East Asia, including Bangkok, Shanghai and Beijing. Their inspiration derives from all over the region, from the spice island cuisine of the Southern islands to the Chinese and Lao inspired cuisines of the North.
Co owner and manager of Chantek, James Taylor has traveled widely throughout over 40 countries, especially in South East Asia. He is passionate about regional cuisines and outdoor markets, and has worked as an Indian chef in Prague, where exploring different strands of indian cuisine led him towards Malaysian food and the fusion of Chinese, Thai and Malay cuisines, which form the basis of the fusion food of Chantek.

drinks


We have a wide range of exotic cocktails and booze juices”: freshly-made fruit and vegetable juices with a shot of your favourite liquor. We also have a range of non-alcoholic fruit and vegetable juices which help to boost the immune system and pick you up at any time of the day! All our juices are made from mostly organic fruits and vegetables, locally-grown wherever possible.

dietary information


The menu is designed to be healthy and flavourful. Most of our ingredients are sourced from Cornwall. Many of our dishes have vegetarian versions using extra vegetables and tofu (v). The degree of spiciness is indicated by a chilli symbol ( * : quite hot, ** : hot). However, extra chillies can be added to most dishes, so please ask our waiting staff. If you have an allergy, please inform our waiting staff who will be happy to suggest alternatives. While our dishes are described in detail, we cannot guarantee that they are free of all traces of nuts.

children


There is a separate menu and special activity sheets for children. Please ask the waiting staff.

practical


All major credit/debit cards are accepted except Amex and Diners Club. Smoking is permitted in designated areas but please indicate your requirements when booking. We recommend that you make a reservation in advance to avoid disappointment. Service is not included in the bill. However, for parties of six or more, a 10% service charge will be added to the bill.

reviews


Lee Trewhela, lead food writer, West Briton, 2006

I've dined at Chantek, the Asian fusion restaurant a couple of times and have always been blown away by the aromatic, subtle dishes from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia to Singapore and Japan.

Recommended by: mayhem_uk - 31/05/2007

Had a great meal at Chantek last night. Extensive menu was almost to big to make a choice from with so many things I wanted to try. In the end I had DimSum and Kari Seafood. Both were excellent. I'm no dim sum expert but it was very tasty. The seafood was fresh the sauce just the right amount of kick. A side of pad pad veggies was just a bit to much but was well cooked. The place was nicely buzzy for a weekday night too. Lived up to its reputation very well.

Twenty4-seven Magazine – June 2006

When one person tells you they’ve found a great restaurant it’s pretty easy to forget the details. When ten different people continually name drop a great restaurant you start to get the feeling your taste buds are missing out. Curiosity drove me from Plymouth to Truro in search of Chantek, the Asian Fusion restaurant I’d heard so much about. On my journey to Truro I hoped Chantek would not disappoint me like so many Asian Fusion encounters I’ve had in the South West have. Perhaps I’ve been unlucky, but I find nothing authentic in Chinese waiters serving out-the-packet red Thai curries.

Upon arrival I was well received by friendly Thai staff and seated in the contemporary designed downstairs area. I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of the overall décor, especially the open sided kitchen – I always find it reassuring and entertaining to see my food being prepared from scratch. The menu looked impressive incorporating a wide variety of drinks and cuisine from the Pacific Rim including authentic desserts like Kanom Morgeng.

I ordered the Red Curry and then sat for a short while watching various dishes arriving on other peoples’ tables; it all looked great and I was beginning to dribble. A moment later my curry arrived, it smelt fantastic and the jasmine rice looked nigh on perfect. There was some garnish on the plate that didn’t really need to be there, but overall the presentation was very good. The taste, however, was excellent. The ingredients used – Thai aubergines, sweet Thai basil, bamboo shoots and coconut milk – really gave this dish an authentic and moreish taste. At the end of my meal I paid up and reserved another table for the following night – and that’s about as good a review as you can get!

West Briton – Freetime Supplement – 27/07/2006 Lee Trewhela Takeaway Review

Takeaway is perfect for night when babysitter’s busy

This eating out malarkey is all very nice but for a lot of us it is a rare treat dependent on babysitters and whether there is any spare cash after spending out on nursery fees, nappies and the latest weeing doll. I’ve dined at Chantek, the Asian fusion restaurant in New Bridge Street, Truro, a couple of times (I do get out really) and have always been blown away by the aromatic, subtle dishes from Vietnam and Malaysia to Singapore and Japan.

I was intrigued by their takeaway service – would the food be as good at home?

It boded well when we received a 10 per cent discount (on orders over £15, evening only) and also received a very good bottle of wine (free with takeaway orders over £35). I was knocked out by my starter of tuna fish marinated in wasabi and sake, on a cucumber and mixed leaf salad with sweet pickle ginger, soy sauce and palm sugar dressing. In fact, I was quite literally knocked out – I’ve never had wasabi so powerful. It blew my head off. And that’s a good thing. My main of jungle curry from the Pacific Rim was a riot of tastes – some which had never hit my tongue before. Beef with dried chillies, fresh peppercorns, krachai root, aubergines, bamboo shoots and red curry paste made a delicious, slightly hot curry with an amazing array of flavours. Accompanied by steamed sticky rice from Laos, it was one of the few takeaway meals I’ve had I felt was good for me, thanks to the exotic array of vegetables.

You may miss the buzz of the superb restaurant but the food is every bit as good in front of the telly.

EatOutCornwall.com
Posted by Jonny Clothier – 27/06/2006

I went to Chantek last year and was completely blown away. It is fantastic. The atmosphere is brilliant; the decor is cool and modern without being kitsch. It's also warm and welcoming. The open kitchen gives a real touch of drama. As for the food - simply heavenly. We had about 6 dishes and each one was better than the other. Beautifully presented, wonderfully fresh, delicate and bursting with flavour. It simply doesn't get better than this. We ate until we could eat no more. My only regret is that my work has now moved away from the Truro area so I can’t go back. But if I was within a hundred miles I would go there again to relive the experience.

EatOutCornwall.com
Posted by Janet - 15/12/2005

My partner and I eat here regularly. The food is always of good quality and the service is friendly. A two course lunch is very reasonable, with a wide choice available for both starters and main courses. Evening meals are equally enjoyable and the takeaways make a welcome change from the average choices at Chinese takeaways.

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: Lisa - 20/08/2006

Chantek in Truro was recommended to us by a fellow holiday maker, and we will be ever thankful to that couple. Holidaying in nearby Hayle with our 5 month year old baby, our top priority was to eat out as much as possible and as well as we could afford. We have not had such an authentic and tasty Thai meal in the UK. My partner and I are both Thai food lovers and holidaying one year in Thailand we discovered green papaya salad which became a daily staple. We were delighted to find this on the Chantek menu, and it was the best we have had in this country - a refreshing mix of green papaya, dried shrimps and peanuts, in a lime dressing.

We shared a plate of fresh grilled seafood from the daily specials menu with a dip that was hot and sour but not too sweet. A Malay yellow curry seafood dish was made less hot for a breast feeding Mum; it included more than we expected, with crab claws and tasty prawns. My partner found a King prawn green curry evidently very moreish as he ordered extra rice with which he could soak up anything remaining. Lunch was made complete by a lovely desert of yellow bean Kanang moreng and pineapple fritters with local organic ice cream.

I was particularly pleased, as the restaurant offered brown rice, rice noodles offered as an alternative to egg noodles and herbal tea catering to my highly selective palate The restaurant was atmospheric but relaxed with coral lights that I would have liked for my own home and some revealing photographs of Thailand. The food was good value and reasonably priced. By chance we got chatting to a couple of the staff who were very friendly and particularly admiring of our baby which wins points with us. To any Asian food lovers who find themselves in Truro I would suggest checking out Chantek.

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: Pam - 03/08/2006

Had an amazing meal at Chantek the other night. Have lived in Malaysia for many years so know what good Asian food is, and this was totally authentic. Ate far too much and the sticky rice was out of this world. Kids menu was a hit also with my two and healthy! They even tried and liked the pan seared tuna starter I had!!!

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: Helen Boyle - 08/04/2006

Went to Chantek for the first time last night - it was absolutely packed on both floors, really buzzing, but the staff could not have been friendlier. We were lucky enough to sit right next to the kitchen, which is great fun, especially when flames shot into the air from the woks!! I chose red duck curry, which was wonderful, but I think I would have been more than happy with any of the dishes. My best friend is booking a table for Saturday on the strength of last night and we can't wait to sample another superb meal!

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: Jason; Polzeath - 29/11/2005

It is very refreshing to be able to enjoy a quality contemporary Asian restaurant in Cornwall. Great building and interior with warm and friendly waiters and the food is fab too. Can’t wait to go back.

Sugarvine.com
01/11/2005

Have been there so many times and the staff are very friendly and warm. The food is amazing and such a variety I don’t think I've sampled every dish yet! If you're looking for an outstanding Asian restaurant then this is the place to be in Truro and the quality of food out ranks all its opposition in this area!

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: Bart - 30/08/2005

This is an outstanding restaurant in any city but for Truro it heralds a great future, the food is

superb, it’s spread over two floors and beautifully decorated, quite contemporary. We have been for lunch four times now and heartily recommend it to any one. You lucky Truronians, this deserves to be packed out every day

Sugarvine.com
Recommended by: John - 17/03/2005

Have had many takeaways and a few sit down meals and in every case the food was excellent. Truro has been looking for a restaurant of this style for years and finally it has arrived. Not only is the menu extensive but also very reasonably priced. Well worth a visit, a place not to be missed by lovers of fine food.

Sugarvine.com
11/03/2005

This place is well worth a visit and does take-away too. A lovely atmosphere, an extensive menu for both food and drinks and our food arrived in no time. I'll definitely be returning.


opening times


Monday to Saturday
12:00 to 15:00
18:00 to 23:00
Sunday
18:00 to 23:00

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chantek - asian fusion restaurant bar
15 New Bridge Street, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2AA
Tel: 01872 225 071

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