Chicago, Nov 26, 2004
IANS
An Indian restaurant in Chicago, promoting itself
as a fusion restaurant for fine dining, is rapidly
gaining popularity with the yuppie American clientele.
Patrons at Monsoon are treated to exotic dishes like
"chicken chaat", "mango chicken"
and "suba noodle salad" (with Japanese and
Indian ingredients) as its chef believes in experimenting
with dishes.
"But while we have other culinary influences,
the core is Indian," said Mina Radia, the owner.
About 80 percent of Monsoon's clientele have always
been American, many of them upwardly mobile professionals
in their 20s and 30s.
Radia promotes it as a place for fine dining, albeit
at low prices.
"We have many Americans walking in to try Indian
food for the first time," said Radia.
She added: "(Despite the low prices), we don't
want Monsoon to be the average Indian restaurant,
where the same sauce is used for all the dishes. We
want to make a few dishes, but we want to make them
well."
Monsoon's head chef is Rupesh Verma, who earlier
was head chef for a group of Indian restaurants in
New Zealand. Verma, 29, began his career with the
Hyatt in New Delhi before moving to New Zealand.
A stint at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Zealand
exposed him to Japanese and Chinese, besides continental,
cuisine. He said he is using that expertise to innovate
in the Monsoon kitchen.
"We are trying to make the dishes to suit local
tastes," said Verma. "We are probably the
only Indian restaurant in Chicago where the diner
can tell the server if he wants his food mild, medium
or hot."
Even a traditional spicy dish like "Murg Vindaloo"
is toned down to suit the client's taste.
Monsoon's bar, which has proved very popular, and
features a five-dollar martini, has an extensive wine
list, Radia said. Some of the drinks come with an
'Indian twist'.
"We have the mango martini and the lychee martini
is the favourite of many," said Radia.
The restaurant has a multi-ethnic staff of 25, drawn
from across the globe.
"I love the diversity," said Sushant Naidu,
a server at the restaurant. "My colleagues are
from Poland, Columbia and Ohio. It is a good way to
meet people."
When it comes to business, however, Naidu prefers
American customers.
"They are very generous with tips. Indians,
on the other hand, do not tip a lot, although some
of the younger Indians do."
The restaurant's interior too is very different,
as far as Indian restaurants go. The walls are dressed
with hues of translucent gold and burgundy, floor
to ceiling drapes, and pleated red silk light fixture
that covers half of the ceiling. A snaking copper
mass coils around a Chinese red-lacquered column.
The 99-seat dining room is centred by a six-foot
red canopy and has intimate seating that can be curtained
off to create private dining. The restrooms have exotic
paintings lining the walls.
Jennifer Manguino, the marketing manager for Monsoon,
said many of the American customers are looking for
traditional Indian cuisine.
Manguino, who grew up in the Philippines, is a big
fan of Indian food. "It is the conglomeration
of spices that I love. I have never eaten so many
vegetables till I started eating Indian food,"
she said.
