Review from The Argus - Friday, September 10, 2010
After finding success selling her
home-cooked, pre-packed Indian meals from a newsagents in Station
Road, Lewes, Chaula Patel went on to open an Indian deli in the
street. In 2007, she launched her first restaurant and 'one-stop
food bar' in Eastgate House, bringing 'the food of India, not just
Indian food' straight to people's tables. Following a refit and the
launch of a new delivery service, The Guide caught up with Chaula
to find out what's taken her business from strength to
strength.
Where did it all begin?
"My husband and I used to run Friday night
curry nights about 15 years back, cooking for about 200 people
every week. These went so well that I began supplying shops [such
as Brighton's Infinity Foods and Russell Sussex Farm Shop in Hove).
I ran an Indian deli in Station Street for five years, selling
Indian sweets, snacks and spices and doing outside catering. Then,
in 2006 I decided I wanted to open a restaurant and we came across
this place."
Had you always had a passion for
cooking?
"It was just something I did, in honesty,
but as soon as I started to get that approval from customers it
spurred me on and I started to really enjoy it. Once I started
enjoying it, I started trying out new things and the customer
feedback just got better."
What marks you out from other
restaurants?
"Every curry has its own sauce, which
makes us quite different from other Indian restaurants. We use no
preservatives, no additives and many of the dishes are gluten and
wheat-free. I'm a vegetarian myself so we have an extensive range
of vegetarian dishes. I create my own recipes on-site and add new
things to the menu all the time, cooking dishes exactly as they
would be cooked in India. I want people who visit us to feel they
have visited India."
What's the most popular menu item?
"Chicken Darbari [a cashew nut-flavoured
dish] cooked with coriander and ginger in a spicy sauce) is a house
speciality, and Hydrabadi Chicken [chicken pieces cooked with
onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes] is also hugely popular. I
think people like it because it's different from many chicken
curries - it's my own recipe of course and I use a blend of special
spices."
What is your personal favourite?
"I love Bindhi Kadhi - which is okra in a
thick yoghurt sauce, with spices, garlic and curry leaves. That's
what I cook for myself."
Is there anything on the menu you'd
consider unusual?
"Chatpata Mogu is fairly unusual. It's
fried cassava chips coated with a special marinade. We also do
stuffed baby aubergine - a traditional Gurjarati dish. We fill them
with peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar cane, garlic and spices. Barji
Rotla is a flatbread made with millet flour rather than wheat and
cooked in a clay pan. It's an acquired taste, rather like
sourdough, but it's great for people on wheat-free diets. It's very
hard to get hold of. I think we're one of the few places to make
them."
You offer a deli counter at the front of
the restaurant, takeaway and delivery service (within the Lewes
area) and outside catering. You're also working at the restaurant
most nights. But do you have any plans to expand further?
"I never thought when I started in 1995 it
would work out so well but it's just grown and grown. Ultimately,
I'd like to open another restaurant in Hove, but I want to maintain
quality so I'll continue to take things one step at a time."
Words: Nione Meakin
Pictures: Terry Applin