ONTARIO — Ontario’s newest eatery is the culmination of nearly two decades of hard work for Hardeep Bohara.
“It was my dream to make my own restaurant,” said Bohara, who immigrated to the United States from Mumbai, India, about seven years ago. “I started cooking and suddenly it became a passion.”
Naan N Curry is now open for business at 2067 W. Fourth St.
Offerings include creamy mango lassi and masala chai tea, appetizers, savory vegetable dishes, soups, curries and rice dishes. There are also several varieties of traditional Indian breads like naan and roti, prepared in a tandoor style oven.
The restaurant also offers a limited number of Chinese style entrees, including Schezwan fried rice, veg fried rice and chicken fried rice.
Bohara’s personal favorites include the shrimp and lobster coconut curry, coconut chicken korma and chilly chicken.
Naan N Curry offers lunch buffet and customizable spice level for menu items
Bohara started his career as a waiter, but from the beginning, he preferred to be in the kitchen.
He’s spent 18 years working in kitchens, both in India and the United States. He even worked as junior sous chef under Indian celebrity chef and restaurateur Harpal Singh Sokhi.
Naan N Curry is Bohara’s first venture as both chef and co-owner. His business partner, Manny Patel, is from the Gujarat region of India.
“I have opened lots of restaurants as a chef. Now I wanted to open my own,” he said.
Ontario wasn’t initially on his radar. But while driving down U.S. 30 in search of the right town to open his restaurant, something unexpected caught his eye.
“Suddenly I saw the Best Buy from the highway (Route 30) and I thought, ‘What is Best Buy doing (here)?” he recalled. “I stopped there. I searched the location and name and said, ‘Ok, next time I will visit here.'”
Soon after, Bohara came across an empty restaurant on West Fourth Street. He put in an application and was approved, but renovations took longer than he initially expected. The restaurant, which previously housed Wokano and Home Asian Bistro, had sat mostly vacant for the past several years.
Naan N Curry finally opened on Thursday. Bohara said he hopes to have a grand opening and ribbon cutting later this month.
The restaurant offers a lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can also order from the menu during lunch or dinner, which is available from 4:30 to 10 p.m.
For restaurant-goers who enjoy South Asian flavors but can’t tolerate much heat, the buffet food is prepared at a mild spice level. Bohara said the kitchen can adjust spice levels for items ordered from the menu.
Bohara said his goal is to serve authentic Indian food that leaves customers happy and plates empty.
“If the people leave food in the bowl, I will ask my server, ‘What happened? Did you ask them? What was the problem?” he said. “I try to make (the food) from my heart.”