Satya owner Ramesan Sreedharan, left, runs the business with son Vyashag Ramesh, right, and chef Prasad Varanamkodath.[/caption]
After 59 Diner closed its Missouri City location, Ramesan Sreedharan did not want to pass up the opportunity to acquire the prime space. With his Satya Indian Grocery store operating next door since 2011, he opened a restaurant in November 2014 at 6302 Hwy. 6, Ste. Q, Missouri City.
Sreedharan’s son Vyashag Ramesh works at both businesses. Ramesh said his father learned to cook from Ramesh’s grandmother, and his skills progressed from there.
“He was actually a chef in 2001 in New York [at] the Taj Mahal restaurant,” Ramesh said.
An electrical assembly and technician position for Powell Industries brought Sreedharan to Texas. He left the industry, and once the grocery store was off the ground, he felt it was time to expand. Ramesh said the location has contributed to the business’ success.
“It’s [in] the heart of Missouri City,” Ramesh said. “We’re pretty much in the middle of Riverstone and Colony Lakes [developments].”
In an effort to distinguish the two businesses, most of the store’s merchandise is found in Sreedharan’s native southern Indian cooking, but the restaurant offers more northern Indian dishes, Ramesh said. Differences tend to include coconut oil and mustard seed in southern Indian cuisine, while north Indian dishes favor cumin, said Prasad Varanamkodath, Satya’s head chef.
Nevertheless, Ramesh said kitchen staff will run to the store for last-minute supplies. Varanamkodath updates the specials often and will soon introduce an original dish called a Kaddi Roll—made with a naan outer shell and filled with chicken tikka masala and egg.
The restaurant offers daily dinner and lunch specials as well as a buffet on weekends. Happy hour is 5-7 p.m. weekdays, and weekends remain the busiest time for the restaurant, he said.
Sreedharan followed his own model by opening a Satya Indian Grocery in Pearland in November with a takeout restaurant to follow this year. Ramesh said his father wants to open a location north of Houston, although that would likely happen closer to 2017.
Satya Indian Restaurant and Grocery
6302 Hwy. 6, Ste. Q (restaurant), Ste. S (grocery), Missouri City 281-741-5600 www.satyaindianrestaurant.com www.satyaindiangrocery.com Restaurant hours: Mon., Wed.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., closed Tuesdays Grocery hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
