It’s not just teenagers who connect at the mall. This is the story of four adults who met at the Broadway Mall, a meeting that resulted in a new Indian restaurant in Hicksville called Kwality.
Rosy and Paramjit Sondhi come from New Delhi, live in Hicksville, and have a kiosk at the mall where they sell cell phones. Sonia and Deepu Wadhawan are from New Delhi, live in Hicksville and have a kiosk at the mall where they sell cell phone accessories. Their shops are four stores apart.
It started with a hello about six years ago and then the husbands became friendly. A friendship developed between the two couples and eventually the decision was made to start a restaurant. The Sondhi’s have had experience in restaurants, owning and running the original Kwality restaurant and catering hall in Queens for five years. Rosy says she is “almost a chef” and would find it easy to go into the kitchen and cook. (There’s another Kwality restaurant in Toronto, run by Rosy’s daughter and son-in-law.)
They decided to open their restaurant in Hicksville because it is close to the mall. But Rosy notes that it is more challenging to be successful in Hicksville with its plethora of Indian businesses.
The cuisine is traditional Indian and Hakka style, which is a combination of Indian and Chinese elements. At the buffet, you’ll find dishes such as chicken tandoori, chicken that is marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked in the traditional clay oven, and chicken makhani, chunks of chicken served in a rich buttery sauce. The Hakka are a people who originated in southeastern China, migrating to India and bringing with them their food to create a fusion cuisine. A typical Hakka dish that is served at Kwality is chili chicken in which boneless thigh meat is marinated with Chinese herbs, salt and white pepper and cooked in a wok with fresh green chili, fresh pepper, garlic, ginger and soy sauce.
As is typical of Indian cuisine there are numerous vegetarian dishes that, one afternoon included vegetable noodles; a spicy mushroom dish; vegetables Manchuria (deep fried vegetable balls in a soy sauce-based gravy); and chili potatoes.
The food is plentiful and good and the bread alone is worth the visit. Soft pillowy naan bread, brushed with butter, is perfect for sopping up all the delicious sauces and the variations such as garlic naan, mint naan, onion kulcha (a naan-like bread stuffed with onions); plus bread with mint and bread stuffed with potatoes.
There are always two dessert choices. One afternoon it was a mango mousse and gulab jamun (milk-based dumplings that are fried and soaked in syrup). Another time there was rice pudding.
The Sondhis and Wadhawans have big hopes for their new restaurant, which will have their official grand opening next week.
“For us,” says Rosy, “it is love, affection, taking care, and friends united together.”
The buffet is open for lunch, seven days a week, and dinner is a la carte. The restaurant also includes a catering hall next door that can accommodate nearly 100 people. Kwality is located at 101 Myers Ave. To find out more, call 718-323-5100.
