In the latest instalment of Metro Eireann’s Meet The Boss, SANDY HAZEL speaks to Ganesh Brasai and Srijam Bastole of the Diwali restaurant in central Dublin
Ganesh Brasai from Nepal has been in Ireland for nine years. He is the proprietor of Diw-ali, an Indian/Nepalese restaurant located on Dublin’s South Gt George’s Street, having recently relocated from Harcourt Street, where it enjoyed a strong, long-standing reputation.
Brasai had some catering experience when he left Nepal, and upon arriving in Ireland he started working as an Indian cuisine chef in various restaurants around the country. “I worked in Limerick and in Dublin at Sagaar Restaurant. I built up my experience,” he explains.
When Brasai subsequently decided to open his own restaurant, he found his bank very helpful in providing the loan necessary for the start-up of the business – and he hasn’t looked back since.
His restaurant Diwali takes Indian cuisine – from Punjab in the north to Goa in the west and through the oldest civilisation of India, the Dravidians in Tamil Nadu – and gives it all a Nepalese twist.
“Diwali is very much Indian and Nepalese food. It is a little bit milder than normal Indian cuisine. We use different ingredients, a lot of lamb and chicken,” he says.
“As with much cooking, the Diwali Nepalese menu is distinctly regional and we use different methods of marinating, for example. We are going to extend our range of Nepalese dishes soon.”
Diwali is regularly patronised by the small but strong Nepalese community in Ireland. “They come here for their celebrations and for their meetings, [it] is a compliment,” says Brasai. “But we also attract a good Irish clientele, as we offer great value for money; we do lunch for less than 10 euro.”
Some parts of the restaurant industry are easing for practitioners. Brasai explains: “Sourcing ingredients has become easier recently as there are so many ethnic restaurants in Ireland who are looking for this stuff. Previously we would have had to get spices directly from Nepal or via London.”
Srijam Bastole, the manager at Diwali, is proactive in supporting Brasai in the business. “We do advertising and have found that flyers work,” he explains. “We place ads in Food and Wine Magazine and it lets people know that we are here. We have had many reviewers too and have had consistently good reviews. But the best way of getting business is word of mouth. We find that plenty of our customers come back and bring their friends, it is very satisfying.” Bastole is working on posting the good reviews onto the restaurant’s website, at www.diwali.ie.
The current location of Diwali – on South Gt George’s Street, near St Stephen’s Green – is a busy part of Dublin city, and is perfect for business. But it also bring with it direct competition, with many other restaurants in the vicinity.
“When we moved here,” explains Bastole, “[the premises] had previously been a restaurant so there was already planning in place for restaurant use, which was an advantage. We are unusual in that there are only two Nepalese restaurants in Dublin to the best of my knowledge so we offer a unique experience here.”
There are only short let leases along this part of the city and the restaurant will have to bid again for a renewal if they wish to remain. It is one of the reasons why so many restaurants and cafes seem to disappear almost overnight. But canny operators will have used their time in any location to raise their brand in the esteem of the public so that no matter where they move, their customers will follow. Diwali seems to be one such business.
