King of Prussia Town Center - Choolaah Indian BBQ, an innovative restaurant concept revolutionizing Indian cuisine, announced today the grand opening of its fourth restaurant, located in the King of Prussia Town Center. A fresh take on a timeless experience, Choolaah bridges ancient clay cooking methods with a modern commitment to good health to create approachable Indian cuisine that is exotically familiar, audaciously fresh, and authentically unconventional.
Choolaah began as a shared decade-long vision between co-founders and Co-CEOs Raji Sankar and Randhir Sethi. Choolaah’s intention is to create joyful experiences that wow the senses and bring people together through real food with irresistibly craveable flavors, at every day prices, in a hip and fun environment.
The commitment to food preparation, the attention to culinary and artistic detail, and the modern theatrical touches are what set Choolaah apart. Fresh Paneer (traditional Indian cheese) produced through an Amish co-op program, air chilled, antibiotic-free Bell & Evans chicken, non-GMO, antibiotic-free salmon from the Faroe Islands, free-ranched, antibiotic-free halal lamb, non-GMO tofu and fresh vegetables are at the core of Choolaah’s premium cuisine. In addition to fine dining-quality ingredients, Choolaah offers Indian cuisine that is accessible not only to guests of all backgrounds, but also guests with a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions. With a plethora of vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and protein options, Choolaah is a place everyone can enjoy.
“We wanted to not only change the game, but really stress how approachable, accessible and wholesome Indian cuisine is,” says Sankar. “We use premium ingredients and elevate them with our special spice blends and classic and healthier tandoor oven cooking to create dishes so irresistible, appealing and affordable that you will want to eat at Choolaah every day.”
When perusing the menu, diners will find authentic Indian dishes such as chicken biryani and tikka masala and lamb meatballs made from premium, wholesome ingredients. Vegetarians and vegans rejoice for a bowl of greens with flavor-packed toppings that can transform from egg-free, to dairy-free, to guilt free. A condiment bar with choices of five carefully crafted sauces including tamarind apple, spicy mango, mint yogurt, Choolaah fire and Choolaah lava, piques consumers’ interest encouraging them to give each a try.
Keeping the authenticity and tradition of Indian cuisine alive was an essential ingredient when creating Choolaah. In order to achieve this goal, Co-CEO Randhir Sethi and his wife Simran, the company’s director of R&D and product development, packed their bags and took it back to their roots. They moved to India where they traveled and dined for two years while performing extensive culinary research.
“We ate our way through India, from the humblest dhabas (eateries) to the most exclusive starredrestaurants, in search of the best examples traditional dishes from chaats (street snacks) to chutneys and biryanis to bbq,” says Simran Sethi. “And we didn’t stop with India. We visited many countries in Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. In London alone, we sampled dishes at 22 different spots in two days. Even for us, that was impressive.”
The couple had the honor of working with talented chefs from all over the world who each offered unique insights and technical approaches to Indian cuisine. Extensive studies were conducted, test kitchens were created and intensive tasting sessions held with the team and the experts. With their research as a foundation, Simran carefully curated recipes from scratch for Choolaah’s menu. The result was the creation of ratatouille moments for those familiar with Indian cuisine, excitingly approachable to anyone who was new to the cuisine making it irresistibly craveable for all.
In addition to creating authentic, high-quality cuisine, each restaurant is exquisite. The familiarity of home and sharing an experience with loved ones is the driving vision behind the King of Prussia location. With a roof above your head and the comfort of warm colors and designs, guests are invited to settle in and enjoy their stay. Diners can watch their individual order transition from a personal exchange at a counter-less ordering station, to a glass-lined cooking area where it is carefully prepared on traditional tandoor ovens.
From the minute you step through the door you will be welcomed and walked through a world eagerly waiting to be shared. “Our mission is to delight every guest, every time and create raving fans,” Randhir Sethi says. “Our exceptional team members take pride in making and serving delicious food every day in a beautiful, joyful setting. Genuine hospitality is the essence of who we are and why we do what we do.”
News, Events and Specials:
The grand opening will be a three-day, weekend long event inviting the community to experience all that Choolaah has to offer. The grand opening will kick off with a ceremonial “Naan ripping” followed by free lunch to the first 100 guests, free samosa giveaways throughout the weekend, and a variety of on-site artists and entertainment. The weekend is a celebration of Choolaah and their commitment to serving the community in every way with 20% of all proceeds from the weekend donated to The Food Trust. (A full schedule of free offerings and happenings for Grand Opening Weekend can be found at the end of this release.)
A full schedule Grand Opening weekend (Sept.15-17) freebies, happenings and event activation's:
Friday, September 15th
Ceremonial “Naan ripping”
First 100 guests receive free lunch
Free samples of masalas and beverages throughout the day
Free chocolate truffle with every purchase
Saturday, September 16th
Free samosas with lunch purchase
Entertainment – Indian Dancers
Entertainment – Henna tattoos and face-painting
Free Choolaah sticker handouts
Sunday, September 17th
Entertainment – Choolaah Head caricature artists
Free Choolaah temporary tattoo handouts