The Rai family, owners of Mami’s Pizza, have just opened Indian Flame on Main next door. From left are husband and wife Sarabjit and Kuldeep Rai and their son Aman. At right is Sarabjit’s brother Paramjit Rai. Also involved is Paramjit’s wife Baljit and son Gagan. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos has a new restaurant, Indian Flame on Main, serving north Indian traditional food.
The restaurant is a family business run by the Rai family, next door to Mami’s Pizza, which the family has run for the past seven years.
Kuldeep Rai is managing it and she recently returned from a trip to Punjab and Rajasthan in India where she did some further training in Indian food preparation.
Not that she wasn’t already a skilled chef. At Osoyoos Secondary School events in recent years, Kuldeep Rai has prepared mouth-watering butter chicken and naan bread with other Indian foods.
The restaurant also has a professional chef with 20 years’ experience.
The Rai family invited people to a grand opening on Sunday evening, where they served samples of butter chicken, spinach and potato, rice, dahl, vegetable pakora and naan.
Kuldeep said the idea for the restaurant came from the whole family.
“We were looking to bring the Indian restaurant for the last couple of years, but we never got the right place,” she said. “But when this place came up, we thought this is the right place for us.”
The location, at the former Good Karma Kitchen, is not only visible on Main Street, but being next door to Mami’s Pizza it allows the two restaurants to share resources.
Nothing will change with Mami’s Pizza, Kuldeep said.
The Indian Flame is decorated with paintings brought from India that depict Indian cultural traditions.
The food includes popular items not only from Punjab, but from other parts of north India.
There are vegetarian dishes, as well as meat dishes including chicken, fish and lamb. Also offered are Indian desserts and popular Indian drinks such as lassi and tea.
Paramjit Rai, who is Kuldeep’s brother-in-law and whose family is also involved in the business, said the food will be almost the same taste as that found in India. That’s thanks to a rich array of imported Indian spices.
The restaurant will also offer a thali lunch, a platter of popular foods prepared and ready for those who don’t have a long lunch break and may want a quick lunch to go.
“We just want to say thank you to the community for supporting us with the other business for many years,” said Kuldeep. “We look forward with the new business as well.”
Her husband, Sarabjit, is certain people will enjoy it.
“It’s feeling like sitting down in India,” he said.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
