Let’s Chat Local! Spice Palette Indian Cuisine

Let’s Chat Local!

As you know there’s a lot of competition in the food & bev world of Charleston, and I gotta say that Spice Palette Indian Cuisine quickly became a favorite spot for Adam and myself. Friends and family who visit us know it well as it’s usually our first meal together. We like to get a ton of take-out, spread it all over the kitchen table, and just dive into the goodness as folks arrive from a long day of traveling. We’ve enjoyed connecting with several of the staff since they opened, and could not be happier that Sujith (owner) agreed to an interview. Talk about an impressive entrepreneurship story! I hope you enjoy hearing from him.

Our Chat

What was going on before Charleston? You were in NY? 

Yeah, I have 2 restaurants in NY. I started in the restaurant field at the age of 16. Then I opened my first restaurant at the age of 21 and my second one at the age of 25. 

Wow, how did you land in the restaurant business? 

My parents, they own a grocery store, and I worked with my dad until the age of 17-ish. My dad’s good friend owned a restaurant, and I worked there for a little bit. I loved it, and worked my way up from busboy to waiter to manager to basically running it. 

So cool. How long have ya’ll been here now at this location? 

This location is going to be 9 months. 

Right on, Ya’ll quickly became a huge hit. 

Yes, very very busy. 

What prompted Charleston? What put it on the map for you? 

Charleston, it was a vacation spot for me. I came here for vacation, liked it a lot, my friend convinced me to open a restaurant, and 2 weeks later I have a restaurant in my name. 

That’s awesome. That’s the Charleston story - people falling in love with it. 

Yeah, Exactly. 

Any surprises as you started this venture? 

It was different than what I expected. I built a restaurant from scratch and figured that I dealt with everything, but once you attend to a new market you figure out and you learn as you go and you make mistakes. Obviously you don’t learn if you don’t make mistakes, right? You have to fail to learn. 

Love that, okay. 

And What is your favorite dish here, what’s your go-to? 

If it’s chicken, Chicken Korma - it’s chicken in a cashew almond sauce. If shrimp, it’d be the Mangalorian Shrimp Curry. It’s something like your mom makes at home, comfort food. It reminds me of the home food which I miss. 

Do you see customer favorites or trends? 

Chicken Tikka Masala. That’s everybody’s favorite and our most selling dish… chicken in tomato cream sauce. A lot of people like the Mangalorian Shrimp, and a lot of people like the tandoori items if they don’t like everything in a sauce and they like everything dry. And my personal favorite on the lamb side is the Lamb Madras which is cooked with fresh coconut, black pepper, and fennel. 

It’s actually making me really hungry now. 

It’s really really good. 

What about any ordering recommendations or suggestions you would give customers? 

The one thing I would say if you're not a big fan of curry but you want to explore a little bit, you have to try this appetizer- I promise you will not regret it. The Malabar Sham Savera. It’s a spinach dumpling with homemade cheese in the middle cooked under a tangy tomato honey sauce. 

Wow. 

It’s a new creation made for this restaurant only and it’s killing it. 

Okay, I think I actually have not tried it yet, but I will next time, yum. 

It’s awesome, I haven’t met one person who hasn’t liked it yet. 

And I don’t expect you have a ton of free time but during your free time, how do you unwind? What do you like to do? 

I don’t get much free time. I usually go out with friends. And right now I'm looking to open another business and looking for new opportunities. Not just grow myself, but to grow together as a team. 

How old are you right now? 

27

You’re crushing it. 

Anything you’re hoping to promote that you’re excited about? 

We updated our beverage menu with new cocktails. The Mango Mojito and the Spicy Andre which is spicy tequila with pineapple juice. It’s really really good. And we’re working on a new food menu for this one that should be out in June. 

I feel like we’re a cocktail community so that is exciting. Anytime there’s something new. 

The new ones are really good. I think we mastered it pretty well. 

Is there anything you were hoping to talk about or that you were hoping I’d ask about that I haven’t yet? 

Honestly, when we opened here there was a lot of support for us, and there still is. I’m very grateful for that and really appreciate that a lot. Coming to a place where you don’t know anybody, I don’t have family here, just a couple friends. It’s really hard to take a risk like that when you’re not sure if you’re going to be successful or not. I really want to thank the community because I probably wouldn’t be here today without them.    

I must confess, lol. I went for dinner knowing full-well that I wanted to snag some pics for this blog. Ya’ll! The food is so tempting that I just dug right in eating before I caught myself realizing I hadn’t captured the garnish and the beautiful way food is presented. Had a good laugh over that one, but I do wish I had better pics for ya’ll. Pictured here is my favorite dish - the Kerala Fish Curry with Mahi Mahi medium and Chicken Tikka Naan so I can sop up all the sauce. Have you been? If so - I’d love to hear about your favorite Spice Palette dish. 

You can check out their full menu here: SPICE PALETTE WEBSITE