Chef and co-owner Rakesh Ramola and wife and co-owner Heather Ramola closed their popular IndeBlue restaurant on April 30. They will be moving IndeBlue to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to take the former Pho Barclay space at 65 Barclay Farms Shopping Center after ten years in Philadelphia. The Ramolas do not have a specific date for the grand reopening but are hoping for early June.
When What Now Philadelphia spoke with Chef Ramola via phone, we asked why the owners decided to move to Cherry Hill and leave Philadelphia. His answer was simple. He and his family live in New Jersey, and while he had been thinking of opening a second location, he concluded that he could move the restaurant to Cherry Hill and simplify everything. He would like to have more time with his daughters and wife and the commute in and out of Philadelphia took its toll time-wise.
Chef Ramola also spoke of being able to work with local farmers in New Jersey and with the food that they grow, which is different from what you have access to in Pennsylvania. He stressed the importance of being able to work with seasonal ingredients in his dishes at IndeBlue. He thinks it is important to eat locally, but think globally.
He did tell us about a change to the menu that comes with the move to IndeBlue that will be very popular. He told What Now Philadelphia that he planned to have brunch available seven days a week at the new location. For fans of IndeBlue who love the restaurant’s brunch, this should be a very welcome addition.
Chef Ramola also said that the hours of the new IndeBlue should run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and then from 4:00 p.m. to roughly around 10:00 p.m. He also said that some of the core menu items will remain the same, but that there should be some new dishes for fans of the restaurant to look forward to as well.
