What does that word “ambrosia” mean to you? If you are of a certain vintage, you can’t help but think of a gelatinous pineapple, mandarin orange and Cool Whip creation—served upside down—that your grandma made on holidays. A special treat.
Perhaps that’s not quite what the Greeks had in mind when they coined the word to describe the food of the gods. More in line with their vision could be the traditional north Indian recipes celebrated by Ambrosia India Bistro, which just opened its fourth location in the town of Los Gatos—complete with an official ribbon cutting with Mayor Mary Badame, attended by Ambrosia president Shyam “Sam” Khanal, president of Ambrosia and chef Kapil Dhaka.
Khanal, who is originally from Nepal, ushered his guests inside to showcase his attentive staff and soothing decor. The ceiling lamps were made of cacao leaves that emitted a soft light. Seating was available at the full bar, with a mixologist and a variety of vodkas available (think lychee).
To our left was a freeform wood sculpture made from the polished roots of a teak tree from Indonesia. On the other wall sat a very large hand-painted Ganesha, the god of beginnings—quite fitting for the occasion.
But just how did Khanal come up with the name? He replied, “We wanted to give a unique name, not like a typical Indian name kind of thing.”
As to how he expanded into Silicon Valley—his other restaurants are in Monterey, Aptos and Scotts Valley—Khanal said, “We had customers come to our Scotts Valley location from Los Gatos, and they encouraged us to open here in Los Gatos. … And we are blessed with this location.”
The first Ambrosia, in Monterey, opened in 2007. “People used to go from Santa Cruz to Monterey, saying that we need some good Indian food,” Khanal said, so he followed up with an Aptos restaurant in 2009.
“I did not even find the Aptos location myself,” he recalled. “A customer called me and said, ‘Hey, you know what? I have a spot for you. You wanna come and check it out?’” The same thing happened in Scotts Valley, too. “We never hunt for our location. A customer finds it. And that was 2016,” he added.
“We were hunting for a location here in Los Gatos. So, when we saw this location available on the web, I said, ‘OK, let’s go.’”
Chef Dhakal has many secret recipes, as does Khanal. Most of the savory dishes simmer for hours. “Some of the recipes came from our grandpas and grandmothers in the north of India,” Khanal explained. “Some of the dishes are our own creation.”
Butter chicken fans will appreciate how Ambrosia’s take on the dish melts in the mouth. “It takes at least five hours to cook it,” Dhakal said. “We also have three to four sauces that take about four to five hours to cook—and some take overnight.” He also shared that the naan bread has anise and fennel seeds.
Khanal’s wife, Aarya, walked by. The El Camino Health nurse is laser-focused on safety. “I make sure the restaurant has all of the requirements,” she said. “I make sure that the food is good.” Son Aansh, 17, also works for the business.
Dee Shrestha, one of the partners, came over as I asked Khanal about that organic artwork by the entrance. “The root sculpture is around 300 pounds of teak root,” he said. “We had a very hard time to get it into the restaurant, due to its weight and size.”
But as Khanal has found, taking one’s time can pay off in the restaurant business.
Ambrosia India Bistro, 133 N. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos; 408.827.4339. Open Sun-Thu 11:30am-2:45pm & 4-9pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:45pm & 4-09:30pm. losgatos.ambrosiaib.com.
