Indian Curries In New York

Anyone who walks into the Café Spice on University Place in New York will see very few elements that peg it as an Indian restaurant. It is a study in cubes and squares and rectangles in a hot earthy combination of saffron and tomato. A contemporary Indian bistro edged with a sleek stainless steel bar, Café Spice is trying to do what was formerly unimaginable: make Indian food hip. Tabs might be higher than run-of-the-mill Indian buffet, but the atmosphere, extra attention paid to the food all make it a 'curry' place people like to return to. The modish Café Spice serves authentic, carefully cooked, and unfused Indian food sending a reassuring message that its fare is safe and accessible for western palates.

Operating officer of the Café, Rajesh Bhardwaj says the whole idea is to step beyond the rigidly traditional and create a new niche. And he has done just that. Bhardwaj, a former food and beverage manager for the Taj Group of Hotels, India, teamed up with noted New York restaurateur, Sushil Malhotra, then owner of upscale Dawat, to create Café Spice. Malhotra now serves as president, chief executive and co-founder of Café Spice. Both shared a vision of popularising Indian cuisine, which, a decade ago had miniscule following outside urban enclaves.

On Saturdays, the restaurant has 240 covers drawing a wide range of customers ranging from young professionals, professors to celebrities like Uma Thurman and Drew Barrymore - something its owners hold out as proof of its future viability. According to Bhardwaj, when the restaurant opened, Indian guests accounted for only five per cent - perhaps a sign they figured the food would not be authentic. Today, twenty five per cent of guests are Indian and the number keeps climbing.

Typical of New York's cramped quarters, the meals are turned out from a kitchen that is only 500 square feet. The mid-priced menu is a tour through the cuisine of India. While many Indian restaurants concentrate on Northern Indian tastes, here the flavours of all regions are showcased. Popular items include samosas, chicken tikka masala, and dosas that are cooked on a griddle in view of customers. The average tab is USD24 to USD 28 per person.

Fueled by their success, the restaurateurs have expanded Café Spice to four more locations, including one in Philadelphia that has developed a large late night bar following and features Bollywood movies on weekends. Another unit has been opened in Gaithersburg, Md, outside Washington, D.C. It has 150 seats plus outdoor seating for 80. The menu at all Café Spice offers traditional Indian specialties: from tandoori meats and mild curries of northern India to stuffed dosas and spicier dishes of the south. It is good to see names like, boti lamb kebab, jhinga masaledaar, palak papri chaat, raunaq e seekh (lamb roomali roll), noorie malai chicken tikka, Goan vegetable curry, onion naan, kulfi, mango delight, shrikhand, mango lassi, gulab jamuns etc.

About three years ago, Bhardwaj and Malhotra branched into an express version, Café Spice Express. The first one is at New York's Grand Central Terminal. Bhardwaj and Malhotra share a passion for Indian cuisine and the restaurant business. Café Spice success is aptly summed up by the review I read in New York Magazine by Peter Kmainsky: "The food is some of the best, and certainly the most freshly prepared, Indian cuisine that I have had anywhere and that includes India."

Café Spice Restaurant Group, HO: Long Island City, Queens, New York.