Chiya Adalat in Balkot: a lovely courtroom, still waiting on its star witness

Early morningBreakfastBalkot

Adalat means court, so I walked in half expecting to be judged. Chiya Adalat has only recently opened, and I was out early in Balkot looking for breakfast. It was open, calm and looked nothing like the bamboo-thatched cafes I keep ending up in. So I took a seat, ordered a chiya and something to eat, and played judge for the morning.

Pull up a seat

Part by part at Chiya Adalat

The placeThe building01/04

Not another bamboo hut

Chiya Adalat's blue-grey front with string lights, a flower garland over the door and cane stools outside — String lights, a garland, and not a bamboo pole in sight.

Most new cafes around here look the same lately. Bamboo walls, a thatched roof, fairy lights. Chiya Adalat skips all of that. It's a proper two-storey house in a soft blue-grey, with the name in Nepali on a wooden board above the door and string lights running across the front.

Out front there are cane stools and little glass-topped tables on the gravel. Early in the morning it was quiet, which is exactly what I want from a breakfast spot.

Ambience4.5 out of 5

The seatsChairs or the floor02/04

Pick a chair, or sit on the floor

Chiya Adalat's indoor seating: wooden tables, tan leather chairs, rope-hung bulbs and a jute-covered ceiling — Jute on the ceiling, rope lights, and a seat for every mood.

Inside, you get a choice. There are wooden tables with leather chairs if you want to sit up properly, and a floor setup with cushions if you'd rather settle in low. Both were comfortable, and I liked that the place doesn't force one mood on you.

The court theme is there, but it's light. A few small touches in the seating and on the menu, nothing that turns it into a costume party. Just enough to make the name make sense.

Seating & comfort4.5 out of 5

The chiyaMilk tea03/04

A chiya on the lighter side

A glass of pale milk tea on a white table at Chiya Adalat, with the menu beside it and a picket fence behind — Looks right. Could do with a stronger brew.

In a place named after chiya, this was the glass I was most looking forward to. It came in a small glass, the way it should, and it looked about right.

It was lighter than I like it, as if a little too much water had gone in. I'm used to chiya with more body and a proper kick from the tea leaves, so this one didn't quite get there for me.

Drinks2.5 out of 5

How strongLight

The plateSomething fried04/04

It looked the part, and the chef wasn't in yet

A plate of golden fried snacks drizzled with mayonnaise and ketchup in morning sun at Chiya Adalat — Plated well. I'll be back for the head chef's version.

The food arrived looking great. Golden fried pieces, mayo drizzled across the top, ketchup streaked over the plate. The kind of plate you photograph before you touch it, which I did.

The taste didn't quite match the look for me. Afterwards I reached out to them about it, and they told me their head chef hadn't come in yet that early in the morning. That explains a lot, and it's a fair reason to give the kitchen another go later in the day.