An Indian restaurant in Chicago, promoting itself as a fusion restaurant for fine dining, is rapidly gaining popularity with the yuppie American clientele.

Patrons at Monsoon are treated to exotic dishes like "chicken chaat", "mango chicken" and "suba noodle salad" (with Japanese and Indian ingredients) as its chef believes in experimenting with dishes.

"But while we have other culinary influences, the core is Indian," said Mina Radia, the owner.

About 80 percent of Monsoon's clientele have always been American, many of them upwardly mobile professionals in their 20s and 30s.

Radia promotes it as a place for fine dining, albeit at low prices.

"We have many Americans walking in to try Indian food for the first time," said Radia.

She added: "(Despite the low prices), we don't want Monsoon to be the average Indian restaurant, where the same sauce is used for all the dishes. We want to make a few dishes, but we want to make them well."

Monsoon's head chef is Rupesh Verma, who earlier was head chef for a group of Indian restaurants in New Zealand. Verma, 29, began his career with the Hyatt in New Delhi before moving to New Zealand.

A stint at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Zealand exposed him to Japanese and Chinese, besides continental, cuisine. He said he is using that expertise to innovate in the Monsoon kitchen.

"We are trying to make the dishes to suit local tastes," said Verma. "We are probably the only Indian restaurant in Chicago where the diner can tell the server if he wants his food mild, medium or hot."

Even a traditional spicy dish like "Murg Vindaloo" is toned down to suit the client's taste.
 
Monsoon's bar, which has proved very popular, and features a five-dollar martini, has an extensive wine list, Radia said. Some of the drinks come with an 'Indian twist'.

"We have the mango martini and the lychee martini is the favourite of many," said Radia.

The restaurant has a multi-ethnic staff of 25, drawn from across the globe.

"I love the diversity," said Sushant Naidu, a server at the restaurant. "My colleagues are from Poland, Columbia and Ohio. It is a good way to meet people."

When it comes to business, however, Naidu prefers American customers.

"They are very generous with tips. Indians, on the other hand, do not tip a lot, although some of the younger Indians do."

The restaurant's interior too is very different, as far as Indian restaurants go. The walls are dressed with hues of translucent gold and burgundy, floor to ceiling drapes, and pleated red silk light fixture that covers half of the ceiling. A snaking copper mass coils around a Chinese red-lacquered column.

The 99-seat dining room is centred by a six-foot red canopy and has intimate seating that can be curtained off to create private dining. The restrooms have exotic paintings lining the walls.

Jennifer Manguino, the marketing manager for Monsoon, said many of the American customers are looking for traditional Indian cuisine.

Manguino, who grew up in the Philippines, is a big fan of Indian food. "It is the conglomeration of spices that I love. I have never eaten so many vegetables till I started eating Indian food," she said.

--Indo-Asian News Service