Member Article

Kent’s first pure vegetarian Indian restaurant opens with Natwest business support

Singh’s, a family-run restaurant catering for vegetarians in Kent and beyond, has opened recently in Gravesend after receiving funding support from NatWest.

The restaurant’s aim is to introduce a new generation of Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes to the vegetarian community, including Gravesend’s large Sikh population.

Set-up by husband and wife Parvinder Singh Lalli and Jaspreet Kaur Lalli, together with their son Harsimran and daughter Simerjeet, the restaurant is on Milton Road, within the soon-to-be regenerated Gravesend Historical Conservation area.

The family worked closely with NatWest Relationship Manager, Rav Sall, who arranged start-up funding, which helped the business get off the ground.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Singh’s caters for customers of all ages and offers a wide variety of vegetarian dishes from starters and snacks to delicious desserts.

It has been established partly as a result of Jaspreet’s long-held passion for food, which has also seen her volunteering as a cook at Gravesend’s Sikh Temple, where she has been preparing dishes for up to 500 people for the last 12 years.

Jaspreet said: “We believe the vegetarian community in Kent has been crying out for a restaurant like this. Vegetarianism is an increasingly popular lifestyle choice in the UK and yet there are no restaurants of this type within an hour’s drive.

“The growing Asian community in the Milton area of Gravesend means there is a demand for pure, freshly prepared, trustworthy vegetarian food. One of our primary aims is to appeal to families to come and spend some quality time together in a friendly environment. We warmly invite all customers, whether you’re stopping by for a hot drink or dining with us.

“We’d really like to thank NatWest for helping us get to where we are. We knew what we wanted to do but we needed the money to fulfil the dream. It’s been quite scary at times but we’ve really believed in ourselves and it’s great to see the restaurant open for business.

“A big thanks also goes to Rav for helping us along this journey. Without his support and encouragement we wouldn’t have got as far as we’ve come today.”

NatWest’s Rav Sall said: “It’s been a pleasure to help get Singh’s up and running. It’s a fantastic example of a start-up business which has taken advantage of a gap in the market and worked with us to look at funding.

“It’s very rewarding to see businesses such as this open their doors and I look forward to working with other prospective business owners in the area and seeing their dreams become reality.”

Gravesham Mayor Michael Wenban added: “I congratulate the hard work and dedication that Parvinder, Jaspreet and their children have put into opening this unique family friendly vegetarian and vegan Indian Restaurant, which can only strengthen the appeal of the town centre and is already attracting new visitors to Gravesend from as far afield as London and South Kent Coast. I will certainly be returning to Singh’s so I can introduce my family to their culinary delights.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .