The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Jalsa
can have more than Indian food. So kids can come here and have what they want, and the parents can still have Indian, or Italian or Mexican food. We want to be a melting pot in every aspect. It’s not just an Indian restaurant, Italian restaurant or Mexican restaurant.”
A Chinese wedding and 15th birthday quinceanera are booked for the ballroom, which recently hosted 300 guests for a Mother’s Day brunch.
“We want to do lots of different cultural things here,” Doshi said. “The important thing is that anybody with a badge — EMT, fire, police officers — we automatically give them 15 percent discount. We want to honor them for their service.”
In keeping with the “jalsa” sensibility, the elegant but relaxed contemporary motifs in the main and private dining rooms encourage lingering over a glass of wine or a refreshing cucumber mint cooler, a seasonal alcoholic specialty of the bar made with fresh cucumber juice.
“Every single drink from the bar, we want people to taste the freshness. We are much different than other Indian restaurants, which don’t normally have a bar or the kind of ambience that we created. We didn’t make it feel like you’re sitting in an Indian restaurant. We built this as a place where people can have a nice two hour dinner, with whiskey, wine or whatever you like,” explained Doshi, who said he handpicked every décor detail himself.
Reservations are required for the private dining experience, which features seven-, nine- or eleven-course meals.
“Each course is paired to go with a red or white wine,” Doshi said.
“The other unique thing is that we make our own masala, grinding the spices here.”
Although buffets are a popular lunchtime option at many Indian restaurants, in lieu of an all-you-can-eat buffet, Jalsa offers the more personal, freshly made Thali, a quintessential assortment of Indian favorites elegantly presented on a round platter on freshly baked naan.
“You get two different vegetables, rice, naan, a sweet and meat, unless you get the vegetarian version,” explained Doshi, who said that dining guests will always be acknowledged by a Jalsa owner at some point during their stay.
“We have a rule that every table has to be visited by one owner, lunch and dinner,” Doshi said. “One of us is always here to make sure every guest is taken care of. Everybody says it’s a complicated business,” he added, “but it’s only complicated if the owner never shows up. When you get involved in every aspect of a restaurant, it’s easier for you to see what works and what doesn’t work. And, from what our guests tell us, we know this is working.” Jalsa Indian Cuisine, 2522 W. Main St., Jeffersonville, is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m. The phone number is 484681-4885.