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Chef and House of India owner Iresh Lal Deb and chef M.A. Jahl take great pains to ensure all food served at House of India is authentic Indian food. Advertising Feature by Don Wall n the world of business, espeâ€" cially small business, an enterâ€" prise often reflects the characâ€" ter of its owner. Absentee or just plain lazy owners run busiâ€" nesses w1th no direction, no longâ€"term plan for success and, usually, no profits. House of India insists on authenticity On the other hand there is Iresh Deb, the owner/operator of House of India, the elegant little restaurant in the Oakville Mews on Speers Road near Kerr Street. Deb is the epitome of the handsâ€"on entrepreneur. He personally assembled and wrote the extensive menu, greets customers at the door, waits on the tables, supervises the preparation of meals (or cooks them himself) and mixes the drinks. It seems like a huge task for a restaurant that seats 60 (50 for parties), but Deb, aged 31, goes about his busiâ€" ness with such grace, gliding around the dining room in his spotless tuxedo shirt, that you barely notice he‘s almost a oneâ€"man gang. Of course, Deb has waiting help on weekends and cooking staff in the kitchen, but the business has his perâ€" sonal imprint all over it. He wouldn‘t have it any other way. "I can honestly say I‘ve never had a bad comment," Deb said during a quiet moment on a recent Wednesday night. "Some regulars have had 100 meals here and I‘ve never had a complaint." That perfect record is the result of Deb‘s attention to detail. He came to Canada 10 years ago from India and worked in Indian restaurants in "I decided to go into business for Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto and > myself and make authentic Indian Oakville. At each he took note of what _ food." worked and what didn‘t, picked up secrets and stored up the information Deb, a rather intense young man, for future use. began by selecting the best recipes As time went on, the key to running a great Indian restaurant hit him: Authenticity. "What I saw was not the dishes I used to eat at home," Deb explained. "Because the owners were worried whether the customers would not like some dish, that it was too hot or not what they expected, they would Canadianize the dishes. Recipe for Tandori Chicken Blend above ingredients together and marinate 6 chicken breasts for 24 hours. Barbecue over charcoal until well cooked. Serve with salad and rice. The above recipe was provided by the House of India. 2 garlic buds 1 tsp. ginger 2 coriander leaves, chopped Green chilies (to taste) 1 onion, chopped finely 4 Tbhsp. plain yogurt 1/2 tsp. tamari powder 1 tsp. coriander powder 1 tsp. cumin powder 1 tsp. garam masia (combination of equal parts of cinnaâ€" mon, cardamom, cloves) 1 tsp. salt Deb, a rather intense young man, began by selecting the best recipes from throughout India as he put togethâ€" er his menu. He decided he would have a real Tandoor, or clay oven, on the premises (unlike other restaurants that purport to offer Tandoori dishes). He would offer a variety of traditional vegâ€" etable dishes, biryanis (rice), many curâ€" ries, Indian breads, soups, appetizers, fresh lamb, chicken, beef, shrimp and Indian desserts. Deb figured he would not comproâ€" mise on the recipes â€" no Canadianization for him. Everything would be fresh, not frozen, and he would use no preservatives. He would ensure that each dish was consistent from meal to meal and day to day by overseeing the preparation of each serving â€" this is very important in his mind, because his growing roster of regular customers know what they like. Lucky for Oakville, he chose Unit 17 in the Oakville Mews on Speers Road to open his restaurant two years ago. The decor is simple, with pink and dusty rose the main colours and unusuâ€" al tapestries covering the walls. In a relatively short time, House of India (subtitled "Authentic Indian Cuisine") has become known far and wide for the quality of the food preâ€" pared by Deb or under his guidance. The host shakes his head and laughs as he describes people who come from Scarborough and Niagara Falls on a regular basis to dine. One diner comes from Toronto just for the Mulligatawny Soup ("from the days of the Raj", the menu.explains). "I‘ m very confident about the food," Deb said. "Whatever people spend here, they know it‘s worth it." A crowning success came early this year when House of India entered three of its most requested dishes, Buttered Chicken, Karai Gosht and Gosht The strains of typical Indian music from the sitar and the tablar (drums) add to the experience. News of this accomplishment only adds to the good words that people have been saying about House of India. Deb had to add home delivery two weeks ago in response to repeated requests, and his catering service is also busy. "Business is good," Deb says with a smile. That, of course, is the sure sign of a great restaurant â€" lots of cusâ€" tomers. House of India is available for parâ€" ties and other special functions and is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Allâ€"youâ€"canâ€"eat Sunday brunch is a favourite, with a chance to sample up to 20 different foods for $7.95. The prices are moderate, with many entrees costing in the $8â€"toâ€"$9 range, and reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday â€" call 845â€"7418. Popiaza, in a contest sponsored by Air India. The contest was held at George Brown College and the competition was fierce, with the best Toronto Indian restaurants offering up samples to about 25 judges. The result: Oakville‘s House of India was judged best restaurant in the Toronto area, Deb proudly announces. Deb advises that people who don‘t know much about Indian food shouldn‘t fear that it‘s too exotic. The wide variety of dishes represents variâ€" ous degrees of spiciness, from suicide to extremely mild, and Deb will offer. friendly instructions on how to eat the Naan bread and other unique foods. (Photo by Peter McCusker)