A taste from the Far East has finally made its way to the DeKalb community.

The Cuisine of India, 901 Lucinda Ave., opened its doors Dec. 4.

Decorated with rows of mini statued elephants and roaring lions on the mantles, the business has been OK so far, co-owner and manager of Cuisine of India, Geeta Nakra said. Despite little advertising and no grand opening as of yet, Nakra said the restaurant has taken in an average of 70 to 80 people during the lunch buffet, and 60 to 70 people during dinner peak times on some days. The restaurant’s grand opening may happen within the next two weeks.

Once a space was found, this brother and sister corporation, as Nakra put it, only took about three months to open. Her brother Rahul Saigal said he looked into opening a restaurant in DeKalb 10 years ago, but at that time there wasn’t enough of an Indian population to cater to. The Mt. Prospect and Naperville Cuisine of India restaurants catered for the NIU Indian Student Association and some families within the area.

“The city of DeKalb has been very cooperative,” Nakra said.

Statues from the folklore of the Ajanta Ellora caves near Mumbai or Bombay, India, occupy the corners of the restaurant with offerings of fennel seeds, an Indian breath refresher, also good for digestion, for customers on their way out.

The concept of the buffet, Nakra said, is to expose people to the dishes so that they get familiarized with the food and culture. The dishes are 80 percent North Indian with some Southern Indian dishes thrown in here and there.

Saigal had formal professional restaurant training at the Taj hotels in India and a couple years of training in England.

“He has a passion for food,” Nakra said.

Ajay Katta, a computer science graduate student at NIU, thinks the buffet is more Americanized because it’s not the usual amount of spice he is used to.

As far as spice, Nakra said it is cooked to order.

DeKalb resident John Beachy said he has already come a few times and is happy the restaurant has opened up.

“We haven’t had any complaints at least, not to our face,” Nakra said.

The restaurant also sells some Indian groceries, and Nakra hopes to get more of a variety soon.

Saigal has been in the restaurant business for 18 years; Nakra just started about a year ago.

“[The restaurant business] is really tough,” Nakra said. “You really have to be in to it.”