Company: Palki Restaurant
www.PalkiRestaurant.com.
Company philosophy: “Absolutely authentic Indian food experience.”
Employees: 10.
Customer comment: “Palki is another reason to visit Commercial Drive.”

By Jagdeesh Mann,
Postmedia News

There are many ways to describe Vancouver’s Commercial Drive. Funky, ethnic and hip are among them.
Now you can add spicy to the list, thanks to award-winning restaurateur Bhupinder Mroke, who delved into decades of experience, before opening Palki on Commercial Drive.
“We never had a good Indian restaurant on the Drive . . . Now there is Palki,” said Nancy James, a local resident who works in the movie industry.
For Mroke, that is a vindication of his latest culinary adventure.
“That’s why I opened here,” said Mroke, who is making a delicious mark in an area better known for its Italian, Latin American and Mediterranean fare.
Mroke may be a newcomer to the Drive, but he is no novice when it comes to Indian food in Greater Vancouver. Born in Jalandhar, Punjab, Mroke moved to Vancouver in the early ‘80s to open and operate the Da Tandoor and Dawat restaurants.
His extended family runs another 10 Indian restaurants in the Lower Mainland.
After Dawat, Mroke opened his first Palki restaurant at 116 East 15th Street in North Vancouver.
Palki in North Vancouver has won a number of accolades and has become a North Shore favourite, since it opened its doors 11 years ago.
“We have brought what we have learned from Palki in North Vancouver to the Drive,” said Mroke, whose wife, Balwant, son Pavneet and daughter Sonika are integral to the success of the family business.
“And we have modified it a little to give Palki on Commercial its own identity.”
As with his other ventures, Mroke builds his restaurant from the kitchen and he’s a firm believer that the art of Indian cooking lies in the science of using spices.
“Good Indian food is not hot Indian food . . . you have to add the spices at the right time . . . too much and it will throw off the dish and too little will give you a taste you don’t want,” said Mroke.
“We don’t use standard recipes . . . we know what our customers want and we give it to them at an affordable price.”
That Mroke philosophy is manifested by the lineups at the daily $10.95 lunch buffet featuring a dozen dishes at both Palki restaurants.
Unlike some Indian eateries where an average of five pre-made curries and sauces are modified to smother the meat and vegetables of your choice, Palki on Commercial offers patrons a range of South Asian cuisine from Goan prawns to Peshwari Naan with nuts and raisins to the all-time Punjabi must-have -butter chicken.
Vegetarians also have a great choice at Palki and Mroke’s chefs are not above taking special orders and modifying them for the eclectic Commercial Drive crowd.
“We don’t reheat pre-made sauces and curries but make dishes as they are ordered . . . sometimes you must wait a little while,” said Mroke.
Waiting at Palki on Commercial is not a problem. The well-appointed main dining area with its soothing water fountain is helmed at one end with an amply stocked bar offering specially made cocktails and chilled Indian beer.
In the middle of the room is what Mroke refers to as his “romantic table”, cosy divan-lined square, perfect for small groups or couples
As the Vancouver Canucks battered the San Jose Sharks last week on a large screen nearby, Vancouver couple Dan and Marie Johnson were at the ‘romantic table’.
“We had our honeymoon in India . . . this is a close second,” said Dan.
That, for Mroke, is a well-deserved tribute as Palki in India is a carriage used to transport newlyweds.
In his Palki, Mroke takes lovers of Indian food on a culinary journey.

If you want to be featured in Meet Your Merchant, please contact merchant@postpeopleinc.com