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f longevity is any measure of success, then Queen’s Tandoor, opened in 1986, is doing something right. At its original premises on Jl. Veteran 1 in Central Jakarta, it initially only served hawker-style cuisine under the name “Queen’s”, but in 1991 it added Indian dishes, and won over many new diners.

“Seeing the good response, we changed the menu composition to 70 percent Indian cuisine and 30 percent Chinese cuisine and the name of the restaurant into Queen’s Tandoor,” said Sarita Ramesh K.S., wife of restaurant owner Ramesh K.S.

Today it has eight outlets: two in Jakarta, three in Bali, two in Saudi Arabia and one in Singapore.

The main restaurant is at Permata Plaza on Jl. MH Thamrin, the only one in the group to retain the Chinese menu today.

Asked about the secret to the restaurant’s success, Sarita said Queen’s always strived to improve and never compromised on food quality. The restaurant imports ingredients it cannot get locally from Singapore and hires chefs directly from India.

“Since we put quality first, we cannot compromise on the price. Yes, the food is expensive, but we give you quality,” she said.

Best-selling dishes include Tandoori Chicken (roasted chicken, yogurt and spice), Khush Raan (lamb shank), Handi Vegetable Briyani (rice-based foods, with spice, rice, meat, fish, eggs and vegetable, and cooked in an earthen pot) and Masala Dosa (fermented crepe or pancake, stuffed with potatoes, fried onions and spice).

The restaurant also offers fusion menus.

 “This restaurant has become a family restaurant. Customers not only come here to have fine dining, but also for social gatherings and family events,” Sarita said.

To attract new customers, the restaurant participates in exhibitions abroad, including in India. According to Sarita, many Indians refuse to sample Indian cuisine when abroad because they believe the only good food is served in their homeland.

“We convince them that we serve authentic cuisines. We also put newspaper advertisements in the. But most people know about us from word of mouth,” she said.

Queen’s Tandoor will soon open its fourth Bali restaurant in Ubud. –Tifa Asrianti