SUMMERVILLE — The owner of two popular Charleston-area Indian restaurants is preparing to debut a third. It will bring an entirely new dining concept to Summerville’s Marketplace at Nexton.
Restaurateur Sujith Varghese is targeting a late fall opening for Samaya Indian Table, a new-build restaurant centered around gathering at the dinner table and sharing a meal. He hopes guests who visit the 426 Cross Park Lane establishment share several dishes, passing them around and experiencing the food together as he did when he was growing up.
Varghese is behind Spice Palette in Mount Pleasant and Rivayat in downtown Charleston. For his Summerville restaurant, he decided to create an entirely new concept, one that draws inspiration from regions across India.
Samaya Indian Table will balance traditional items, including breads and curries, and familiar favorites with a strong focus on grilled and smoked preparations, such as skewers and charred vegetables.
One dish will riff on Rivayat’s tasty toddy shop beef fry, which features slow-cooked short ribs mixed with fragrant, crispy curry leaves and slivers of sliced coconut. At Samaya, the meat will be served with pickled shallots and cilantro inside “taco” shells made of parantha bread.
“I feel that every restaurant should have its own identity,” Varghese said. “(Samaya) will have its own way of cooking.”
Samaya’s design will highlight “the richness of Indian architecture, art and nature, with sweeping archways, layered textures and custom murals depicting tigers, peacocks and lush botanical scenes,” a press release said.
The setting is meant to feel distinctly Indian but not overdone, Varghese said, with an atmosphere fit for casual dinners as well as larger celebrations.
Dining and Cooking