CELEBRATING the triumph of good over evil seems like as good a reason as any to have a slap-up meal.

That's what dozens of diners will be doing at the House of India this weekend, as the restaurant marks the Hindu festival of Diwali, also known as Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights.

For Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the restaurant will sport a few extra decorations to celebrate what co-owner Geri Rodrigues-Uppal describes to her customers as "something a bit like a Hindu Christmas".

In India, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains will join with Hindus to celebrate Diwali, by lighting up lanterns symbolising hope for mankind.

For the North Street, Hamilton eatery the festival is an opportunity to build on what it does every day ? give its predominantly western clientele a taste of a different culture.

The business has come a long way since the House of India first opened 11 years ago. Then, founders Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal and her husband Ashok Uppal had their doubts about how Bermuda residents would take to the exotic food. They need not have worried.

"I was a bit wary of very spicy food," Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal, who had been a florist for more than 30 years before going into the food business, said. "I felt better when I learned that many of the dishes were quite mild.

"Back in 1995, there weren't many Indians on the island and we were banking on Bermudians who had studied or worked overseas and guest workers for our trade."

The food industry was nothing new to Mr. Uppal ? he had 15 years' experience as a pastry chef ? but running a business was something different. His wife had run the House of Flowers for around 18 years.

Friends impressed by their cooking urged the couple to open an eatery and when they found a suitable premises, almost opposite the Transport Control Department building, they gave it a go.

The House of India opened as a take-out with a grocery section selling Indian goods.

"For the first year, we kept our old jobs ? me at the House of Flowers and Ashok as a chef," Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal said. "We did not know how it would take off.

"Due to the demand we took out the grocery section and put in four tables. But our customers kept pushing for a restaurant.

"We didn't have the room to do it, but when the premises next door became available ? it had been a hamburger joint and ice-cream parlour ? we took it and expanded. We opened as a restaurant in September 1998.

"At first, it was very hard, because we had just two chefs, ourselves and a girl at the counter. We were washing the dishes and cleaning up, anything to save money.

"Now it's very different. We have eight people in the kitchen and four waiters."

The restaurant's reputation has spread through word of mouth and now Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal estimates that around half the customers are Bermudian, with a good proportion also from Britain, where curry is often described as the national dish.

The House of India could have been based on Front Street, but the Uppals failed in their attempts to rent the property which now houses the Bermuda Bistro (formerly The Beach).

Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal admits to having had concerns about the reputation of the "back of town" when opening up on North Street in 1995 ? but the fears proved unfounded. "We had to fight that stigma for quite a while," she said. "Even taxi drivers were telling tourists that they shouldn't go to that part of town.

"But there is no greater problem here than anywhere, as far as crime is concerned.

"What we have found is that people around here are very friendly and supportive and they look out for us. They say we have done so much for this area."

As for whether the business would have grown stronger, had it been located on Front Street, Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal said: "We don't need to be on Front Street, because our customers know about our quality and they are happy to travel to where we are.

"Although we would have got more walk-in trade, the rent would have been more expensive. We're happy with where we are."

Opportunities have arisen over the years for the House of India to expand into the premises next door, but the Uppals decided against it. Now it is occupied by rival Indian restaurant the Bombay Palace.

"We decided we were happy to stay small," Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal said. "The competition next door has not affected our business at all ? there's enough business to go around.

"Consumers always gain from competition and it certainly keeps us on our toes and makes us strive harder.

"We believed from the start that there was a niche in the market for high quality food that is affordable. If the quality is there, people will keep coming back."

favourite dish, by far, is chicken tikka masala, originally a British variation on traditional Indian food.

And although the House of India encourages its customers to broaden their tastes and try some of the other dishes on offer, most people have their own personal favourite and tend to stick to it.

The restaurant's lunchtime buffet, served for $14.50 between 11.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. every week day, offers a different range of dishes and gives diners a chance to experiment.

All the chefs are recruited from various parts of India by Mr. Uppal, who used to work for the Taj group of hotels on the subcontinent and was also manager of the Cottage Bakery.

Quality and consistency are the key characteristics that the House of India tries to instil in its food.

"It's not easy to maintain quality for the same price with costs constantly going up," Mrs. Rodrigues-Uppal said. "You can't just pass the price on to the customer because you have to stick to the menu prices.

"For our chicken tikka masala, we use a cashew-based sauce ? few restaurants do that because it's so expensive.

"In Indian cooking there are about eight base sauces and by mixing them together and adding different spices, you get the different flavours.

"We prefer to make our own ground masala by mixing about 15 spices, even though you can buy ground masala in the stores.

"And the rice we get is not your typical Uncle Ben's. It's basmati ('queen of fragrances' in Hindi) rice, imported from India, the best rice you can get.

"Quality is the key to success, in any business. It's easy to get people inside the door but it's harder to keep them there."