Ken Singh, owner and operator of the Westboro Village-based Karara restaurant. Photo courtesy of Ken Singh.
When he lived in London, U.K., for work, Ken would often travel to see his friend in Birmingham on the weekends. They would hang out at his friend’s Indian takeout restaurant, where the two would spend time and have a beer together.
Ken’s friend’s restaurant is one of many of the U.K.’s Indian eateries, which run the gamut from fine cuisine to street food.
In a country that arguably produces the best Indian food in the Western world, Ken learned that good Indian food need not only be found in a Michelin-rated restaurant, and there was a healthy appetite for takeout options.
He later travelled to visit family in Mississauga. “I saw a lot of multiculturalism over here, and that impressed me so much,” said Ken.
He was so inspired by that visit that he decided to make Canada his home. At the same time, he was inspired by the UK’s vibrant scene of Indian restaurants and felt he could cater to an untapped niche.
He and his family settled in Ottawa, and it wasn’t long before they opened Karara in Barrhaven in 2009. It was the first Indian takeout restaurant in the city.
“With grace of God, it worked so well,” said Ken.
Ken is the main chef for Karara, while his wife takes care of the finances and inventory side of the business.
Pictured is Karara’s butter chicken, a popular dish made in the Northern Indian culinary tradition. Photo courtesy of Ken Singh.
He and his family designed the menu, which features dishes popular for a Western audience, largely including dishes from Northern Indian cuisine. “It was always mild, not very spicy, not a lot of hot peppers,” said Ken. That work seems to have paid off.
“We did very well. We have the same menu that we started with 12 years back. We never had any change in our menu,” said Ken.
Karara’s success is not only because of their menu, said Ken, but also their business model. Despite being a takeout restaurant, they only prepare meals when they receive an order, and don’t sacrifice quality of ingredients in the process. This is unlike buffet style restaurants that make food in large batches and may have leftovers at the end of the day.
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Staff are able to prepare dishes quickly because the base sauces for their menu are prepared in advance, but the other ingredients in the dish are cooked once the order is in. In addition, avoiding cheap oils and using whole foods ensures that the restaurant doesn’t compromise on food quality, added Ken.
It was not long before the Singhs were able to expand Karara beyond their original location to Merivale and Kanata. They also opened a Karara in Orleans, which is a bakery instead of the usual takeout fare.
Ken said they began to notice interest in Karara’s offerings from Westboro Village locals. “We had customers from Westboro ordering from the Merivale location for quite a while,” said Ken.
The Singhs had been planning to open a location in Westboro for the last two and a half years, said Ken, but were not able to do so until a smaller lease space came along. “We don’t need a big seating area. We don’t need a big kitchen, or a lot of staff coming in, nothing like that,” said Ken.
Pinder Singh and Manpreet Singh are the two kitchen staff that Ken thanks for making the Westboro Village Karara run smoothly. Photo courtesy of Ken Singh.
Ken credits the day-to-day operations at Karara in Westboro Village to lead chef Pinder Singh and cook Manpreet Singh. Pinder is Ken’s nephew, and though Manpreet shares their last name he bears no family relation. That being said, Ken points out, Manpreet is part of the Karara family.
“Since day one we have been doing very well. People know us already and they like our food,” he added.
Ken said the feedback he is getting from Westboro customers has been heartwarming. “I feel so happy when people come and tell me, ‘Your food is good and this is our second time, third time, fourth time. And we are thankful to you.'”
For those interested in learning more and ordering from Karara, visit their website and Facebook page!
