Indian resto captures niche market with no-frills dining

MANILA, Philippines - While Indian food is one of the most-sought after in the world, it is still a very foreign cuisine to most Filipinos.

 So when Indian migrant Komal Khanchandani opened her restaurant a decade ago in Makati, little did she expect that it will help break many myths against Indian food and make it a byword in the heart of the country’s financial district. 

The unassuming restaurant is named Swagat Indian Cuisine, which literally means “welcome” in the Hindi language. 

Buoyed by an encouraging earlier venture into the food business and backed by a small capital, Komal inked the contract with the building lessor on April 18, an auspicious date which both marked the birth anniversary of Hindu deity Rama and Good Friday. 

But beyond religious superstition, she believes that it is her home-style cooking which have made Swagat hold its own against the fancier restaurants for the past 10 years.

 â€œOnly a few months after opening, we were able to make Indian food a staple among the Makati lunch crowd, while the Indian community provided a steady stream of customers,” Komal says. 

Unlike the flashier restaurants of its time, it has no banghra musicians, belly dancers, nor ornate interiors. The only design motifs of the exotic sub-continent are a couple of framed hand-weavings, a few brass sculptures, Bollywood music videos, and its waitresses dressed occasionally in traditional sari dresses.

 What it lacks in the frills department, it more than compensates with its tasty and healthful dishes and the personal touch of its solicitous proprietress.

 â€œWe want Filipinos to have a cultural and healthful gastronomic adventure into the heart of India without hurting the budget through our restaurant,” Komal shares.

 It wasn’t long before it started drawing diplomats, celebrities, business executives and foodies from all over Metro Manila with its unpretentious cooking.

 Only three years into its operation, it bagged the best Indian Restaurant Award in the Philippine Quality Awards for Business Excellence and the Global Brands Awards. Such authentic home cooking and affordable pricing also earned it a nomination in the Indian category of the Manila-Best Kept Secret Restaurants.

 Swagat’s lunch crowd is a merry mix of Filipinos and foreigners working in Makati, with the Indians coming in about two hours later. The same dining pattern can also be observed for dinner.

 She occasionally shuttles from Manila to her home state of Andra Pradesh to bring in fresh ingredients, new food concepts, and authentic Indian implements and paraphernalia.

 Among its best-sellers is the sangam biryani or flavored spicy Indian rice with lean, tender pieces of chicken, lamb, cooked in herbs and spices. Literally meaning “meeting place,” sangam was named after Komal’s first food venture—the Sangam Cafeteria in Cityland Pasong Tamo.

 Other variants of the biryani are murgh (chicken), mutton, anda (scrambled egg), and shrimp. Her menu continues to evolve so she can always offer a fresh twist to traditional Indian fare.

 Komal said that she has also positioned Swagat as a vegetarian and “halal” restaurant to cater to Muslim visitors and expats, as well as the growing legion of vegan diners, both local and foreign.

Many Indians are vegetarians and follow a meatless diet which account for their healthy lifestyle.

 And while she is neither a marketing guru nor adept at social media, it is her loyal and satisfied patrons which promote her resto through word of mouth and online media.

 Ten years after her foray into the big city, Komal still brims with confidence that she still poses the same dare to every diner since day 1: “Don’t pay if you are not satisfied with the food.”

Swagat is at FCC Building, 119 Rada St., Legazpi Village, Makati City, with web site www.swagatindiancuisineph.com and tel. no. 752-5669.