Kapitolyo-famous Indian restaurant Ricksha reopens in Greenhills, San Juan

Despite being a "hole in the wall," Ricksha quickly made waves in the Metro Manila dining scene when it opened in Kapitolyo back in 2019.

Its delicious Indian fare is a must-try with the butter chicken, garlic naan, and chicken tandoori becoming sensational hits.

And then the pandemic happened, and owners, the husband and wife team of Cyril and Pierre Addison decided it was time for an upgrade.

"The space was tight, there was no parking, we wanted to add a bar, the wine bar concept. We had a vision of a much bigger space, where we can have a private space for events and I wanted to do lots of wine things. We are both sommeliers," Cyril tells GMA News Online.

They searched within the Kapitolyo neighborhood, as well as in BGC and Makati, but nothing was quite cutting it.

"Ricksha is still home-style cooking. We wanted to do something different and casual," he continued. When they saw a space open up in Greenhills, they knew it was it. "We've always loved this neighborhood and Pierre went to school here."

Much like Kapitolyo, Ricksha Greenhills continues to serve Southern Indian cuisine based on Cryil's mother's cooking. "Everything we have on the menu is what I grew up eating. All our recipes are from my mom," he says.

Home-style, she did all her cooking by feel. "So we would follow her around and measure and write it down. We wrote down all her recipes, tried it, and her approve it. Then we created that for a more restaurant setting," Cyril continues.

It's the same Ricksha fare that regulars have come to love, except the menu's been expanded. "We just added bigger portions for bigger parties and a couple more curries," explains Cyril.

Food is served in the middle, family style much like in most Filipino homes. "We encourage people to share the food. We say it's good for two people, if you're going to share and have other dishes."

According to Cyril, Southern Indian cooking is defined by its usage of spices. "Kerala for example is known for its coconut and seafood because it is a coastal region," he says. As such he points to seafood items on the menu like the Seafood Moilee, a hearty dish of mahi-mahi and shrimp in coconut, curry and turmeric sauce.

And then of course, Ricksha now has a proper bar, allowing them to offer guests fantastic pairing. There are Indian beers, a slew of refreshing cocktails, and of course a strong wine list.

He says fruiter reds pair very well with Ricksha's Southern Indian style cuisine. "But surprisingly Bordeaux and Burgundies work well with it too — with richer curries. I wouldn't pair them with spicier ones," he says.

Ricksha opened in Greenhills just last April 15 but already they already have wine pairing events lined up. "We will do an Indian and Chinese wine pairing in May," Cyril said excited. — LA, GMA Integrated News

Ricksha is located at 6 Missouri St., Greenhills, San Juan