Here’s what’s new in the old New Fong’s building
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REXBURG – A restaurant to replace New Fong’s and fill a gap in Rexburg’s food scene will open next week.
Masala Indian Cuisine will serve traditional northern Indian dishes to the Rexburg community. Owners and married couple Jaideep and Brittany Gill will unveil the restaurant on South Second West on Nov. 15.
RELATED | Family-owned New Fong’s is closing after nearly two decades
Jaideep is no stranger to the restaurant business. Before moving to Rexburg, he co-owned Masala Bites in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for 11 years with his brother.
The couple wanted to move to Rexburg after a visit to see family. Their two children loved spending time with their extended relatives, and the family-focused community seemed perfect for them. On top of that, Jaideep grew up on a farm in India, so the Rexburg farmlands felt like home.
“We loved the community here and the family values,” Brittany said. “We’re ready to settle in this area and set down roots so we can raise our kids in this area.”
After surveying the food scene, they noticed a gap they wanted to fill.
“There’s nothing currently in Rexburg that’s a fine dining Indian place or like a date night-type restaurant,” Brittany said. “There are some other places around, but there wasn’t anything that hit all of those marks.”
The Gills take pride in their focus on fresh, homemade dishes, including homemade paneer and yogurt.
“Everything is made from scratch. We try to source locally and organic when possible,” Brittany said. “Nothing is prepackaged. There’s no food dyes or anything like that. It’s authentic.”
The restaurant will have great accommodations for those with food restrictions, as well. While they cannot guarantee there will be no gluten cross contamination, many dishes are gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. Their desserts will be whole foods and plants based, meaning they will have no added sugar, which is perfect for diabetic customers.
“We try to make sure that we can have a safe dining experience for everybody,” Brittany said.
The couple looks forward to bringing their passion for authentic Indian food to Rexburg.
“We’re really excited to bring his love and expertise here and introduce this cuisine to the area,” Brittany said. “Even though we have that experience, this is the first time we’re doing this together as husband and wife.”
Masala Indian Cuisine will be located at 352 South Second West in Rexburg. To stay up to date, visit its Facebook page.
