Chatters, Midland

Chatters Cafe & Restaurant is a new addition at Midland Gate Shopping Centre and the second version of the popular Morley restaurant.

We arrived at about 12.30 pm and were seated straight away, impressed at how busy it was for weekday lunchtime.

Unfortunately though, this meant we waited 30 minutes before our orders were taken, and although we were given a bottle water during this period, more than one table who'd arrived after us had their orders taken before we were approached.

Chatters' menu boasts an extensive selection and we were impressed with the lunchtime specials, which are available along with the standard menu.

At lunchtime, dishes such as honey chicken, green and red curries and basil chicken all cost $9 and included plain rice [fried rice $1 extra]. Dishes such as ginger squid cost $11.

Otherwise, noodle, pork, chicken, rice and vegetable dishes cost between $9 and $13. Omelette dishes cost between $10 and $15, and the lamb and seafood dishes each cost $15. There is also a small but adequate selection of 'Western' dishes.

To start we shared Pandan Chicken, which consisted of four pieces of chicken, each wrapped in banana leaves. The dish came with a delicious dipping sauce that mixed honey and lemon flavours with rice wine. At $7.50 this entree was a touch on the pricey side, considering there were only four pieces. Even so, it was delightful. If you have a fussy eater in your family it is worth noting that garnishes are all dressed.

We had asked the gentleman who took our orders to recommend main dishes, and chose based on the two he nominated.

I chose the Szechuan Chicken and my company selected the Chatters Beef Lunch. The Szechuan Chicken was particularly spicy, although I was warned that it would be. Despite its almost overwhelming chilli flavour, it was very tasty and not too heavy - vital in making it through the afternoon without a nap.

Similarly, my friend enjoyed her Chatters Beef Lunch. She found the beef to be tender with a full garlic flavour and commented that the sweet rice wine flavour made the beef succulent. The fried rice was classically prepared and included egg, shallots, chicken and prawns.

Both the red and white 'Chitter Chatter' house wines were a nice drop, and were not unreasonably priced at $5.50 per glass.

After clearing away our plates, the lady serving us apologised for the long delays and explained that they were due to a large lunchtime crowd with limited time - a perfectly acceptable reason, although as we discussed, we were not asked upon our arrival whether we were on a lunch break.

We then had a long wait until dessert menus were offered, despite the restaurant being virtually empty by this point. For dessert my company had fried ice cream and I had a banana fritter, which was served with two scoops of ice cream drizzled in chocolate and strawberry toppings. Both were enjoyable, if nothing extraordinary. It is also worth sampling the wide range of teas that are available.

Chatters is well laid-out. The tables are not cramped and it is evident that a great deal of consideration was given to its layout and decor.

The website hasn't been updated since the opening of the Midland restaurant, which is disappointing for those of us who like to engage in online reconnaissance prior to visiting a restaurant.

We left just on 3 pm, full and happy, but also wondering where the afternoon had gone.

On the whole, Chatters represents excellent value for money with tasty food and friendly service in very pleasant surroundings. As my friend pointed out, in an age of enormous food serves, Chatters delivers a sensible amount of flavoursome food.

Delays in service can be blamed on the newness of the restaurant - teething problems that we anticipate will be ironed out quickly.

Highly recommended.