LAKELAND — Anthony Mankidiyan often yearns for the fish curries, dosas, egg masalas and other exotic foods of his youth in southernmost India.

Cravings aside, he is determined to introduce Lakeland to the dishes found throughout the coastal region of his home state of Kerala, as well as those found in north India, preparations with more familiar names like butter chicken and chicken tikka masala.

Sometime this summer Mankidiyan will debut Curry Mango, a full-scale restaurant serving predominantly Indian foods as well as some items with a fusion twist, like fried chicken wings glazed with mango or tamarind chutney, and his signature fried chicken.

The 120-seat restaurant with outdoor patio seating for another 40 guests is under construction at 6625 S. Florida Ave., just north of Shepherd Road. If all goes as planned it will join Café Roti in downtown Lakeland as the only Indian restaurants in Polk County.

As such, Curry Mango will stand out for its uniqueness, but the scale could be a problem, especially for a start-up ethnic enterprise, said Larry Ross, a professor emeritus of business administration at Florida Southern College and a former restaurateur.

"If you keep it small you can keep labor costs really low," he said. "But labor costs are unforgiving ... It's going to challenge him."

Mankidiyan, 36, of Lakeland, brings a measure of experience to the table, having worked in restaurants before leaving India 17 years ago. He also operates convenience stores in Lakeland and Davenport that serve his fried chicken and breakfast staples.

Together with partner Salim Mathew of Valrico, Mankidiyan promises to lead customers on a culinary tour of his homeland, featuring chicken curry with sweet mango, grilled meat kebabs and rice biryanis made with a myriad of aromatics and spices.

Curry Mango will offer a daily lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant will close from 3-5 p.m. then serve a full menu until 10. There will be no service on Monday, offering a staff of 12 or more a day off.

Married with two children ages 5 and 7, Mankidiyan said his restaurant will be more affordable than many of the Indian establishments found throughout Central Florida in hopes of inviting people to sample a cuisine to which they may not be accustomed.

“Our prices are very reasonable,” he said, “so everyone can try it out.”

Once hooked, customers will be back for some of the staples he enjoyed in his youth, like dosas, which are similar to a crepe only the batter is made of ground rice and lentils and often spiced with fenugreek seeds. They are traditionally filled with mashed potatoes flavored with cumin, chilies, turmeric, ginger and garlic.

Plans call for a full liquor bar and several flat-screen televisions. The kitchen will be equipped with two tandoor ovens for making smoky flatbreads, tandoori chicken and more. A target opening date is July 1.

To get an early sample of Mankidiyan’s fried chicken, visit his Chevron convenience store at 4301 New Tampa Highway in Lakeland, or his Citgo food mart, 404 U.S. 17-92 N., in Davenport.

His Lakeland food mart is the more ambitious of the two, serving a full breakfast of eggs, grits, biscuits, gravy, bacon and an array of fried chicken, including gizzards, tenders and wings. There is nothing overtly Indian about the chicken, except that it marinades overnight in ginger, onion and a few other ingredients before being floured and fried in oil.

The wings are finished with a glaze of mango chutney, adding a sweet, fruity element. They’ll be a staple on the new restaurant’s lunch buffet, Mankidiyan said, only spicier.

“I just want a variety for the kids and the youngsters,” he said. “We’ll also have tandoori wings; it’s going to be like barbecue.”

Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.