News
Siraj Café hoping new dinner option will push floodwater under the bridge by Brandon Simes
Managing EditorWednesday Jan 27, 2010
Victims of water main break looking to expand their base
When a water main broke in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 9, on the corner of West Concord Street and Shawmut Avenue, the devastation was dramatic. Damage to basement units was substantial, leaving some residents without a place to stay and forcing them to guest rooms, spare couches, and hotels. Siraj Café, a Greek and Indian fusion restaurant that has sat at 472 Shawmut Avenue for five years, also took on its fair share of water.
More than two and a half feet seeped into the restaurant’s basement, closing the eatery for a dozen days. After clearing all debris, owners/spouses Sophia Potsidis and Rabi Islam say they’re out approximately $37,000-a figure that doesn’t include lost revenue from having to close the restaurant for nearly two weeks. As is often the case, they expect to recoup far less than the total value of the damage from their insurance company, in this case just about 40 percent.
"Sunday morning I reopened the store. ... I was shocked by what happened. And then they [City officials] said, ’You cannot go in there because it’s not safe.’ They turned off the gas, electric, and everything. I went there, there were two and a half feet of water in the basement," said Islam.
Union Park Street native Potsidis and Islam, who met while they both were studying at Northeastern University, have combined their lives to form a powerful combination. With inimitable flavors and a unique mixture of two distinct foods, Siraj offers the best of not two, but three cuisines: Greek, Indian, and their fusion.
"That’s our specialty. If you go to an Indian place, you just get only spicy shish kebab. If people don’t like the spicy one they can get the Greek side, which is not as spicy," explained Islam.
The restaurant itself is a visible union of the couple’s heritage. Islam and Potsidis brought in an interior designer to help meld their Indian and Greek cultures, combining Greek columns with Indian arches and colors.
The menu boasts crowd-pleasers such as spicy vegetable samosas for $5.99, the Taste of Bangladesh, a specialty sandwich made up of Tandoori chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, and a spicy diablo spread for $6.99 that comes with a side of fries or a small soup, and assorted Greek and Indian dinner dishes, usually for $11.99.
"It’s really different, because I don’t think there’s another place that has a Tandoori sandwich," said Potsidis.
The couple owns the commercial space, which they believe gives them a deeper connection to the neighborhood, and allows them to set lower prices than other eateries that may have to pay inflated rent prices.
"It’s very affordable. Even the people who don’t have a job-people need to eat. So they can spend like five or 10 dollars, this is our range, and dinner is not more than 12 or 13 dollars, it comes with a salad, all those things. I think we are the cheapest place in the entire South End," said Islam. The most expensive item on the menu is the lamb chops for $19.99.
Potsidis said that through their five years thus far customers have heard about Siraj mostly through word of mouth, as they haven’t made any major advertising pushes.
"We have our regular customers, they come every single day," she said, adding that the economy hasn’t hurt the business too much because of loyal customers and reasonable prices.
The proud parents of a one-year-old son, Amiras, had planned to launch a new dinner menu earlier this month, but the flood damage delayed that effort, pushing the start date of the new dinner offering to February 1.
The first month of breakfast, lunch, and dinner being available from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week will bring with it some discounts for locals. Boston University students and Boston Medical Center employees will receive a five percent discount on all purchases next month, and all diners will receive a complimentary appetizer or dessert item with dinner.
The couple also plans to apply for a liquor license in March, which would enable them to push their closing until 11:00 p.m., and perhaps recoup some of the losses they have incurred. For now, however, they remain focused on spreading the word about their new dinner menu and longer hours and keeping a long-term approach.
"We bought this building and we are not going anywhere," said Islam. "That’s the main reason we want to stay a business with the very, very best quality with a lower price."
The damage
Islam says Siraj has lost approximately $37,000 in damages after the water main break a few weeks ago. The basement has yet to be refinished.
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