It all sounded wonderful at first. Take the proven shopping mall food court concept and move it into town with a little more warmth, charm and selection for the clients and a lot more affordability for the tenants.
Over 70 entrepreneurial individuals and businesses apparently sought a space in San Miguel’s Mercado Centro, the first to open. Mercado Sano came next. Mercado Carmen came not too long after.
The concept all sounded oh so good. I could have my muffaletta, while Mary had her crèpes, while John had his pad thai, while Jane had her curry, while Alice shopped for baked goods and cheese. The reality was not so good. For a long list of reasons.
Chikatana was one of the first tenants in Mercado Carmen. A month ago they became one of the last. I was happy to hear the news. I was thrilled to see on Facebook that they had a new home.
I loved Chikatana’s food but I didn’t like their place of business. I ordered for delivery often but I rarely ever went there.
Today all of that changed. Today Don Day’s Wife and I enthusiastically went to Chikatana’s new location. And I’m sure we’ll soon go again.
Conveniently located for art and design enthusiasts about a block from Fabrica de Aurora, Chikatana is housed in a small complex called Casa de Landers. It’s the inspiration of painter Bebe Landers and positions Chikatana as the anchor for a number of new galleries.
“The concept is quite simple”, said fellow Torontonian, Bebe. “People come to eat, they see our art. People come to see our art, they have something to eat.”
Chikatana’s main dining area is in the courtyard of the former home. It’s a beautifully treed area with, perhaps, the tallest bougainvillea in this town.
Strings of Japanese style lanterns hang gracefully from the limbs. The place is not classy but it’s cozy, cool and comfortable.
Every time I go to Chikatana, Chef Satoru Takeda’s menu has grown by about a half page or so. Not having been to Chikatana’s old space in over a year, I’d lost track of all the new additions but couldn’t remember seeing the curries before.
We wouldn’t be led astray though, no matter how enticing the descriptions of the added items were. Satoru Takeda is San Miguel’s reigning king of ramen. Don Day’s Wife and I were at the new and improved Chikatana for one thing only, that regal ramen.
But allow me to revise that last word. I should have used the plural. For there are now 11 ramens on the list. Decisions, decisions…
We dillied, we dallied. We asked the always camera-shy Chef Satoru the “If you could only have one question” but he strayed to his memories of instant ramen and growing up with the treasured joys of lunches composed mostly of those plastic cups of strangely dried noodles.
I presented a plan to Don Day’s Wife:
“We’ll get this one and that one or that one and this one. I’ll eat half of one while you eat half of the other”.
We didn’t. We both ordered the tonkotsu. It’s the one with the bone broth and the pork belly, enough said. Well, almost enough. Bows also to the boiled egg, pickled ginger, kikurage mushrooms, sesame seeds, roasted garlic and spring onions.
The healthy (or is that unhealthy?) sized bowls arrived.
“These noodles are better than they used to be; he must have a new supplier”, said Don Day Wife.
I asked permission to take a photo of her slurping them. She refused.
“Instead, why don’t I tell people how to use the chile oil. Most people are used to a bottle of sriracha being on the table. Not here. What you do is take the long-handled spoon out of the napkin holder, dip the narrow end into the chile oil bottle, and add seven tiny drops around the surface of your ramen to taste. Better also warn people that it is very, very hot!”
I took a picture of Don Day’s Wife slurping anyway (but didn’t take one of her picking up the bowl to get the last few morsels created by his majesty Satoru).
We were on our way out when the chef said, “Follow me.”
Now all chefs spend a few moments of every day reciting and repeating either the pleasures or the pains of their kitchen. Or both.
The new kitchen looked fine to me. Decent size. Reasonably well-equipped.
“Keep going”, said Satoru, “to the right, around the corner”.
There was a whole other room to the kitchen, just as big, maybe bigger than the first.
“This is so, so much better than the old place”, he said with a grin.”
For an ordinary person, his home is his castle; for his royal highness, the king of ramen, it’s his kitchen.
Chikatana is now located at Calzada de la Aurora #51 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday; Noon to 7:00 pm.
I plan to make iChikatana my first lunch date in the new year. Nicole
It is unfortunate that Mercado Carmen could not get its legs. I agree all the possibilities for diners could be great …. waffles, curries, CBD products. For me the deal breaker is the horrible parking lot attendants …. 1 minute over and we pay for another hour. 3 of us, each in a car, pulled in to check out the waffles only to immediately determine (2 minutes) Paul and mom were not open. Our cars were waiting to be parked and we were each charged for an hour.
Look forward to trying Chikatana again soon!
My personal opinion with these wonderful hidden treasure food courts is the tourists do not easily find them and the locals do not frequent centro often enough because of parking issues and much more accessible and affordable restaurants outside of centro. (Rent costs are obviously much higher in centro)
Covid messed up the momentum of these locations and many places had to reinvent their business to get rolling again. I do think a food court could be a success again with a right location and street exposure. Parking is key to attracting locals, I don’t mind walking a few blocks. Mercado SANO rocked the food court years ago, a win-win for everyone, great selection and lower rent for the business owners.
Thanks so much for this recommendation. I plan to make it one of my first lunches when I return. Do you have any group lunches in February or March? I have been following you and your suggestions for seven years and would love to meet you and Don Day’s Wife. Happy Holidays.
There’s always something going on. Usually dinners. Hopefully will meet up then.
We walked by last month on the way to the Fabrica Aurora and I noticed what I thought were several restaurants in a re-development of a house, which looked nice. I’m glad that they moved out of Mercado Carmen and hope that Bhaji can find a new home before the Mercado Carmen implodes completely. We never used the parking but the (unauthorized) smoking (including by Chikatana’s staff) and the bar that has a very limited wine and beer selection (and frequently no wine or beer) spelled Mercado Carmen’s downfall long ago. It’s a great example of an excellent concept poorly executed. Hopefully, something new and wonderful will replace it. Chikatana’s ramens are excellent but due to the Mercado Carmen situation, we found another excellent option in Centro, which is the ramen bar at the Hotel Matilda. Excellent ramens and a lovely, non-smoking atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating and a nice beer and wine selection. Prices about the same as Chikatana (in Mercado Carmen). We particularly like the tonkatsu but have tried others, which are also nice. For all I know, the ramens could be outsourced by the Matilda to Chikatana.
I had almost forgotten about Hotel Matilda’s ramen bar. Must go soon. Sakura on Cardo is another contender for the throne when it comes to ramen.
I can bet Chikatana is the best Ramen in town!!!
Thanks for this, Glen. I was in the space one evening a couple weeks ago for an event. Very cool destination to peruse galleries and just hang out. Going back for the ramen tomorrow during the day when it’s not so dark. Cheers!
Looks amazing! I so can’t wait to try this spot and to see you and your wife again!
Very much enjoyed the new location, peaceful, almost serene. As always enjoyed the Tonkotsu ramen. Agree with Sharon, noodles were great, almost a nutty flavor. Would have liked 2 pieces of pork belly instead of 1 but understand the price squeeze that all restaurants are experiencing. Was hoping to find my Penang curry but the hunt continues.