BOUNTIFUL — Not many restaurant owners travel 7,500 miles to get the recipe right.
Emmanuel Shanthakumar, however, does.
It's all part of making his new Bountiful restaurant, the Royal India, authentic.
Located at 55 N. Main, the 32-year-old entrepreneur makes it a priority to ensure the dishes he serves here in Utah are the same ones found in Madras, India. That involves a trip by Shanthakumar from Utah to India at least every two years.
Last week, the Royal India held its grand opening, the only Indian restaurant in Davis County, Shanthakumar maintains. This is Shanthakumar's second restaurant, patterned after one his father owns and operates in Sandy, which has been around for seven years.
"I thought it would be a new venture," Shanthakumar said. "In Bountiful, there are not many places to eat. We wanted to be something unique and bring some culture and new flavors to the people."
When traveling in India, where Shanthakumar was born, he makes it a point to work at local restaurants, to learn new recipes and food preparation techniques, and receive valuable hands-on training. Indian dishes, he said, center on ginger, garlic and onion spices. Other favored spices include cumin, cilantro seeds, tumeric, chili powder, paprika and ajwaine.
His most popular item, a chicken tikkamasala, is a chicken breast marinated overnight in yogurt ginger garlic and then cooked in a charcoal oven. The finished dish is topped with tomatoes and cream.
A more common food is samosa, a deep fried pastry dough stuffed with seasoned potatoes and green peas. In addition, vegetarian, seafood and lamb entrees are offered.
"We have some street-type dishes and really upscale dishes," Shanthakumar said. "We are pretty close to authentic."
Shanthakumar has been in the restaurant business for 12 years. The food industry, he said, is his passion. He even has catered at receptions at Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s mansion.
The Royal India is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 to 9 p.m. for dinner.
E-mail: danderton@desnews.com