South Fayette couple serve ‘Indian cuisine with a twist’

The tantalizing aroma lets customers know they are in for a treat. It’s just a matter of what to choose from a menu loaded with selections that may not be familiar to the average Western Pennsylvania diner.

“You can see initially, he’s not sure what he wants,” South Fayette resident Deepak Gupta said. “We work with him, guide him. And the moment he takes his first bite, you can see his expression.”

He and his wife, Anuradha, are likely to see a smile and hear an “mmm.”

The Guptas entered the restaurant business with Tikka’N’Wrapz, which they call “Indian cuisine with a twist.” Favorites of the northern part of their native country are served in numerous combinations, from traditional-style dishes to build-your-own salads, bowls, and variations on taco shells and quesadillas using naan bread.

Customers of the North Fayette eatery can watch as their orders come together promptly using fresh … well, mostly everything. Just about the only products not freshly chopped and/or cooked are soft drinks and other beverages that tend toward the American palate.

“Apart from food, we also focus on service,” Deepak said. “Even though we have ‘fast’ food, we want to make sure that our customers get served in the right manner and they are comfortable with trying the food.”

That could mean trying chaats, tasty culinary combinations based on what vendors sell on the streets of India. Or perhaps customers may prefer one of the many Chef’s Signatures, including meat and vegetables dishes topped with tangy tikka sauce.

And none of it has to register in the upper reaches of the Scoville scale.

“For me, a spice is a flavor. It’s not the heat,” Deepak explained. “So if you look at our menu, the food is at a very mild level that people can enjoy. But we can get from mild to spiciness with different types of chutneys or flavors.”

Speaking of chutney, Tikka’N’Wrapz offers nine varieties of the savory condiments, Hot Sauce and Extra Hot Sauce among them.

Customers who dine on the fiery side can cool down with desserts such as rusmalai, two flattened cottage cheese balls soaked in rich creamy aromatic saffron milk and garnished with nuts.

“It’s really, really delicious and melts in your mouth,” Anuradha said. “Our most popular one is royal falooda. We call it ‘royal’ because it has so many ingredients.”

That would be creamy milk mixed with rose syrup, vermicelli and basil seeds, topped with vanilla ice cream and nuts.

Prior to Tikka’N’Wrapz starting operation in the spring, with a higher-profile grand opening in July, Anuradha learned about the ins and outs of the food industry by doing the job, herself.

“I worked at Indian restaurants. I worked at Mexican restaurants to get some experience, and we finally decided to open this,” she said. “I do the cooking, but he takes care of all the other restaurant business. There are so many things involved.”

High on the priority list is welcoming guests in style.

“We both make sure that all of our customers get personal attention. We talk to them. We make sure that they are comfortable, because it’s a new cuisine,” Anuradha said. “We are always ready to explain what we are doing.”

The Guptas will explain that several dietary bases are covered in their menu, with meat, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free offerings.

And they’ll work toward making visits to Tikka’N’Wrapz eminently enjoyable for everyone involved. For example, Deepak cited a customer who tried her first vegan bowl, topped with pickled onion and cilantro chutney.

“She took it to go, went, ate it. After 10 minutes, she came back and said, ‘It was so amazingly good. Can you make me the same, two more bowls?’” Deepak recalled. “That’s what makes us feel so happy.”