Eighteen years and three generations later, India Gate restaurant on Davis Drive is still serving Newmarket residents authentic Indian cuisine in a fine dining experience.
“People who came on the first day we opened in ’06 are still coming to this day,” said Akhilesh Sharma, whose grandfather, Parshotam Dhiman, founded the restaurant.
Akhilesh said his grandfather decided to open India Gate after he retired so he would have something to do and to provide a place where people could go to enjoy good food. Parshotam Dhiman died in 2022.
The restaurant is now owned by Akhilesh’s parents, Geeta and Abhishek Sharma, as well as Samanta Dhiman. When not at university, Akhilesh helps out, something he has been doing since he was a child.
“The food we have here is real authentic Indian food,” said Akhilesh, who has been a fixture at the restaurant since he was two years old. “We specialize in Indian cooking” from New Delhi, located in northern India, where the family was from originally.
One of the things that makes India Gate unique, Akhilesh said, is that the restaurant is still using the same recipes that were created by the original chefs his grandfather brought over from five-star restaurants in India.
“They stayed in the house until they perfected the recipes.”
Because the same recipes are used, customers have consistency in taste – if someone had a dish in 2006, it tastes the same if they ordered it today.
That consistency is important to the family, as is the quality of the ingredients and the food itself: Everything at India Gate is made in-house, including the naan, which you can watch being cooked at the back of the restaurant. Also important is the fine dining atmosphere, where people can enjoy a quiet location and connect with the people they are with over food," Akhilesh said.
“Indian food is all about sharing, it’s a big part of the culture,” Akhilesh said. It’s customary to order “one, two, three, four curries and some naan, then you share.”
With more than 100 items on the menu, “we have something for everybody,” Akhilesh said. “That is what we do here.” They also try to never say no to people, customizing dishes to meet dietary restrictions, as well as preference, including varying levels of spice.
“Indian food, we are trying to get away from the myth that it’s spicy,” Akhilesh said. “It’s flavourful, not spicy. Different spices just give the (dishes) flavour, they don’t make them hot.”
Akhilesh said everything they serve at India Gate is good, but his favourites are dal makhani, a lentil dish; rogan josh, a lamb curry; and chicken tikka masala, marinated chicken in a spiced sauce.
Their butter chicken is a customer favourite, different from the sauces you get from a jar, Akhilesh said. Also popular is their vegetable korma, a recent addition to their menu.
Chicken korma is traditionally chicken in a sauce, but Akhilesh said a customer requested a vegetarian version with cooks adding green beans, corn and various other vegetables.
“They loved it. We added it to the Uber menu.”
Akhilesh said he is grateful to the Newmarket community, which has supported India Gate for the last 18 years. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, people would order takeout to support them when dining was closed due to regulations.
“The community has stayed with us,” Akhilesh said.
