BROOKINGS — If you’ve got a hankering for authentic Indian and Nepali food, then the newly opened Curry Express in downtown Brookings has you covered.
The restaurant, which shares space with Agua Fresh at 420 Main Ave., was spearheaded by co-owners Robin Joshi and Tikesh Ranamagar, who is also a chef.
It has an extensive menu, one that Joshi highlighted in a recent interview with The Brookings Register.
“We provide chicken tikka masala and rice, all the curries and stuff like that — good stuff, I would say,” he said. “Momo, which is also a dumpling, but we do our own style dumpling, and the chicken chowmein, which is kind of like street-style from Nepal, so that kind of chowmein.”
He said Curry Express’s offerings also include naan — which is freshly baked Indian flatbread that comes plain, garlic and cheese — along with tandoori, which is marinated overnight in yogurt, herbs and spices, then roasted for a smoky, charred flavor.
Joshi was born and raised in Nepal, so he’s certainly got the credentials for running a place like Curry Express, which is one of three businesses in the Brookings area that he has a hand in. The other two are Toronto Express and, in southwest Minnesota, the Ruthton Express.
He said it took quite a bit of time to get everything together to launch the restaurant in Brookings.
“We wanted a fast-casual dining concept, so we found this place … (and) decided to do it,” Joshi said.
He said customers have been flocking to items such as chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, naan, tandoori and momo.
“The customers … always like to try new products,” Joshi said. “So far, we have great, authentic flavors going on here.”
The youngest of three brothers, he came to the United States to attend the University of Dallas in Texas, where he graduated in 2006 with a business-related degree. He put it to work immediately, going into fields involving convenience stores and gas stations.
“I don’t like to have 9-to-5 jobs. I’m kind of like a flip-flop guy, walk around and see things and work — sweep, mop, everything; I like it,” Joshi said. “I started from zero, then I came to this stage right now” of running three businesses.
Curry Express is still taking baby steps, having had its soft opening on Valentine’s Day. That said, Joshi they’re already looking to the future.
“We want to grow and help the community,” he said. “Serving good, quality food, the different cuisines from different worlds here. We want to be specific about authentic Indian and Nepali cuisines we can add on to. More varieties will be coming pretty soon.”
Joshi, who’s always looking to do things better, stressed that he wants customers to be honest with him, and that Curry Express is no exception to that rule. He wants folks to let him know how he and his crew are doing.
“Try our food and give us a review — whether it’s bad or whether it’s spicy or whether it’s too strong, whatever,” he said. “So far, it’s great … people don’t have to go to Sioux Falls or St. Cloud (Minnesota) to have authentic chicken masala or naan or bread or something like that.”
He added, “We are here for the local community to provide a service and food.”
Joshi, who lives in Harrisburg with his wife and their two daughters, noted that while the restaurant business can be a risky venture, so far everything is turning up sunny in Brookings.
“Everything is positive. Everyone is … excited,” he said, adding that’s especially true with the international students from India and Nepal at South Dakota State University.
Joshi said the diversity found in Brookings makes the city “very rich,” especially for a smaller community. He added that the community has a “big heart” and SDSU’s presence strengthens it.
“I’ve always loved this town,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do something here.”
While it was a university education that brought Joshi to the U.S., he will always have a fond spot for his homeland of Nepal, which is mountainous and sandwiched between China and India in southeast Asia.
He called it a beautiful place, and it’s also home to some of the world’s tallest mountains, including the most imposing of them all, Mount Everest.
“I love it — that’s my motherland, and this is my fatherland right here, in the United States,” Joshi said.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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