Staff Blog
Ekta opening on Girard Ave. July 14
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They're taking over, these Tiffin cats! First, founder Munish Narula announces he's expanding into Mount Airy. Now, we've confirmed that former Tiffin executive chef Raju Bhattarai is on the verge of unveiling Ekta — "it means unity, because of the unity of Indian spices," explains the chef — at 250 E. Girard Ave. It will officially open this Monday.
Bhattari says he's wanted to start his own place for awhile now. (After Tiffin, he spent a few months consulting as executive chef at Monsoon in Mt. Laurel, which is owned by the Karma people.) Ekta is a bilevel space, but for now Bhattari will do takeout/delivery only from the bottom floor. He's working on readying the top floor a next-door space for sit-down dining.
Menu's a little smaller than Tiffin's, and prices will be extremely fair — $2.50 for naan (he's featuring some great varieties, including mint, garlic and rosemary), $7.95 for mutter paneer or navatran korma, $8.95 for tikka masala or lamb roganjosh, $8.50-$11.50 for biryani dishes and so forth.
Hours of operation: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., noon-10 p.m.; Sun., noon-9 p.m.
[...] 10 pm Monday-Saturday and 9 pm Sunday, good news for those of us who work the twilight shift. City Paper reports that a second-floor dining room is in the works as well. Opening day is today, so drop by if you [...]
[...] A couple of new places are opening on Girard Avenue today. Former Tiffin executive chef Raju Bhatari is opening Ekta today. The bi-level spot at 250 E Girard Avenue. [The Clog] [...]