We’re incredibly proud to support so many inspirational independent traders here at Festival Place, and we thought we’d introduce you to some of the owners, who can tell you a bit more about their business, and why it’s so important to support local.
This month, we’re chatting to Daljit Kour, manager of the multi-award winning Spicy Tadka Indian restaurant.
Founded in 2014, the business started out with a simple goal: to share the colourful, diverse flavours of Indian food with the people of Hampshire.
Its delicious and aromatic flavours have been enticing customers through the door for a decade – and Spicy Tadka has recently been named the Best Indian Restaurant in Hampshire at the prestigious Euro Asia Awards 2024 after winning Restaurant of the year award in 2023.
The regularly changing menu features a range of traditional Indian dishes, from curries including Paneer Butter Masala, Chettinad dishes, lababdar dishes and their most famous dish Railway Lamb to tandoori specialties and fusion dishes that offer a taste of something unique Indo-Chinese flavour.
Tell us a little about your business and how long you've been going.
In May 2014, Spicy Tadka started from the humble kitchen of the Great Western Pub behind the station as a experiment to serve authentic Indian Flavour to Basingstoke. We recognised a unique opportunity – while there were many Indian restaurants in the area, none were offering truly authentic Indian food.
Driven by the local craving for genuine flavours, we launched Spicy Tadka, and we were overwhelmed by the positive response from our guests who appreciated the simplicity and authenticity of our dishes. Just 15 months later, due to our growing popularity, we relocated to Festival Place, allowing us to serve our delicious offerings to even more customers.
Today, Spicy Tadka stands as a symbol of quality and authenticity in Indian cuisine. Our menu has expanded to delight all our patrons, featuring North Indian-style vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, delightful snacks, and refreshing beverages. Our menu is designed to offer many choices for everyone. Whether you are vegetarian, Vegan or another dietary needs, Spicy Tadka boasts many choices.
In addition to our restaurant services, we also offer catering for various occasions, from intimate family events and corporate gatherings to grand weddings.
What made you want to open your own business?
Gagan Joshi, the owner of Spicy Tadka, began his career as an IT engineer, spending over 15 years in the tech industry. Throughout his journey, he harboured a dream of owning a small business. It was during this time that he recognised a significant gap in the market – Basingstoke was lacking authentic Indian cuisine.
Driven by his passion for food and inspired by the desire to create something meaningful, Gagan made the bold decision to transition from the IT field to the hospitality industry. His expertise in process-driven service, combined with his love for cooking, laid a solid foundation for Spicy Tadka’s success.
Under Gagan’s leadership, Spicy Tadka has become a sustainable business with a commitment to quality. His focus remains on delivering exceptional food and service, always accompanied by a warm smile for everyone who walks through our doors.
What would you say to someone thinking about starting out on their own?
Hard work, continuous innovation, long-term consistent quality with good service and clear vision is the only way to succeed. Never give up in difficult situation.
Why are small businesses so important?
Top quality customer service is crucial for small businesses. We take time to get to know our customers and then give them the best quality service and food – that's why we have so many regular clients.
What do you think small businesses bring to the community?
Small businesses are a big support to the local community, recruiting local people and buying mostly from local businesses.
Spicy Tadka itself also supports lots of local charity events and communities like the Basingstoke Hindu Society and local food banks. We also sponsor local school charities as well.
During the Covid pandemic, we also prepared over 2,000 meals for local NHS staff.
Why customers should shop local and what does it mean to you?
It’s important for customers to support local business as we can fight the difficult economic environment as a community together.
Local businesses can only be sustained if local people use them.
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