There’s one thing about Chef Hiran Patel - he’s one of the nicest chefs we know. He ALWAYS puts his people first. We place him in a group of chefs that have made a difference. Just ask his staff. He’s only been in SMA for a few months and he’s already had an impact.
Chef Hiran Patel threw out the rule book when he came to SMA; that’s the kind of guy he is. Some of the many perks of working for him are that he pays his people a living wage, he offers English lessons to further enrich their lives and possibilities, he takes them on trips so they get plenty of exposure to cooking and culture and he allows them the freedom to be creative. Don’t blush Chef Patel. We think Ghar is one of the best kitchens in SMA which also includes the other leadership of Enrique Garcia-Evans, the Director of Operations, Marketing and Sales for Casa Hoyos, where Ghar is located.
I knew Chef Patel in Chicago where he and his lifelong friend, Viral, shared a deep love of cooking that was immersed in Indian culture; family culture. Throwing caution to the wind to pursue their dream, Naansense was born. There is now a Naansense restaurant in Chicago and in suburban Naperville and Oakbrook as well.
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Mexico had become the number one spot for Indian destination weddings so when he first came to San Miguel de Allende, he was doing Indian weddings for Zumo Catering. He was approached to open a restaurant here and the rest is history. Amazingly, he put together a staff that operated as a team from the get go. They will tell you otherwise but we see it as one of the smoothest start ups in SMA history. His team includes Executive Chef Mauricio Hernandez Patraca, Pastry Chef Mayte Rivera, Beverage Director Sebastian Vasquez along with Hur Cupido Preisser.
Eight courses were served last Friday at Press day; most of
them from a new menu where every dish was exceptional and delicious. I had to
fight Chef Michael Coon for the last bite of Makai Esquites made with an espuma
of roasted corn. It was one of the best dishes we’ve had and is now on our list
of favorite things to eat in SMA. We loved every one of these dishes with
emerging flavors of Mexico, like the Rib Eye steak with huitlacoche cardamom
curry and onion pakora that will be on the menu soon. There will also be a new
Sunday brunch menu coming out and the bar in front of the restaurant will open
to feature out of the ordinary cocktails and Indian small bites.
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We’ve posted a diagram on the Regional Indian cooking (@Sukhis) that GHAR will be offering down the road. With home to over 1.4 billion people, 120 languages, 9 religions, over 2,000 ethnic groups and 29 states – each having its own set of flavors and culinary style – you have plenty of exciting food to look forward to. It opens tonight at 5:00 PM.
Ghar
Casa Hoyos
Mesones 14
Centro, San Miguel de Allende
Wednesday – Monday
5:00 PM – 10:00 PM