Indian snack foods make city debut

Indian Essence owner Robyn Couchman with manager Manvir Sigh, left , and head chef Pawan Sah.

A local woman is helping spice up Hamilton's food scene.

Robyn Couchman has opened restaurant Indian Essence, which is serving up aspects of Indian street cuisine that are new to Hamilton.

Robyn is the new owner and runs the business with the help of her manager Manvir Singh and head chef Pawan Sah.

She decided to introduce a new kind of Indian street style snack food to the city after she asked Manvir what types of street food are common in India.

"I'd never heard of them until we started looking into these different types of snack foods in India."

The snacks range from $6.50-$8.50 and are intended for people who want something quick and easy for lunch or they can serve as starters.

"I thought it would be really good for students or people just popping in for a quick snack and I think it's interesting to have something different," said Robyn.

Robyn and Manvir brainstormed food ideas that would represent India in a different way than Kiwi folk have previously known.

They have also incorporated gluten free and dairy free foods into the menu as Robyn is wheat and dairy intolerant.

"I've always had a hankering for doing different types of foods like gluten free and dairy free because I find it hard to get."

The menu names are also different to what you would normally see in an Indian restaurant as Robyn has "Kiwified" it with dishes like Angry Bird, Keema Therapy, or Picnic Potato Curry.

"When [Kiwis] go to an Indian restaurant and we read a name, we don't necessarily understand what is in the food so I thought it'd be a bit attractive to Kiwis and I'm finding that they love it."

Manvir helped Robyn find the location for the restaurant and with his training in management through Wintec he has helped to get it running. Chef Pawan was a five-star chef in India for many years before coming to New Zealand and has been in the industry for more than 12 years.