By Ava Hult-Falk

For the past 35 years, a beloved Indian restaurant has stood at 6127 Geary Blvd. between 25th and 26th avenues. Now, under new and changing leadership, Ocean Indian Cuisine is beginning a gradual transformation, one menu item at a time.

Chef Ghanashyam “Sam” Kandel took over the restaurant’s kitchen in November of last year. He has worked in Nepal, India and spent two decades most recently working in Japan. He was born in Baglung, Nepal, where he learned to cook. He practiced with his older brother in Nepal and India before spending 18 years in Japan, where he says he became fluent in Japanese and developed the cooking style he embodies today.

“As a chef, I believe food is the most complex form of art,” Ghanashyam stated. “We create not only for the eyes, but for nearly every sense. A great dish must look beautiful, smell inviting, have the right texture and bring every flavor into balance.”

Ghanashayam’s work goes well beyond San Francisco. Before Ocean Indian, he spent years advising restaurants across Tokyo and authored a cookbook, “TIMUR: Prepare with Passion,” about a year and a half ago in Nepal. His book pairs traditional Nepali cuisine with culinary techniques from his time abroad. The book has since sold more than 5,000 copies.

Ghanashyam’s transition into Ocean Indian Cuisine has been strategic. Rather than overhauling the entire menu right away, Ghanashyam, along with his cousin, Amrit Kandel, co-owner of the restaurant, said they are easing their customers into the chef’s new dishes through a separate “special menu,” while the traditional menu remains intact.

“We have a lot of customers that are used to coming here, that used to like the food that they have been getting over the years,” Amrit said. “We don’t want to throw all of that away.”

Amrit said the restaurant has built this loyalty over decades. He recalled meeting one customer who told him he had been coming to the restaurant for more than 20 years, ordering the same dish nearly every time.

The restaurant added this new special menu in February, four months after Ghanashyam took over. Amrit describes their plan as a five year shift. They are tracking the performance of items on the special menu throughout six month trial periods. Dishes that perform well will be added to the permanent menu, while less popular items will be gradually phased out.

“We think that this is going to be like a five year journey,” Amrit said. “This is not going to be like a right away thing.”

So far, the reception has been mostly positive. A reworked naan recipe was one early success, along with the restaurant’s new palak paneer, which Amrit said one Google reviewer, originally from Nepal, called the best she had ever tried. Other longtime regulars at Ocean Indian have been slower to embrace the changes.

“Some people are like, ‘Oh, I was used to having it the old way,’” Amrit said. “We are trying to manage that (feedback).”

Some regulars, however, said the transition has been seamless. Among them are Matt Lefkowitz and his son Jacob, who have dined at Ocean Indian for the past two years. The family said they have not noticed a change in quality since the ownership change.

“(The food) tastes the same as always,” Jacob Lefkowitz said. “This is a good thing.”

Ghanashyam said the restaurant’s pivot reflects his broader philosophy about food which he has carried throughout his career.

“It began with the flavors of my mother’s kitchen,” Ghanashyam said. “Now in San Francisco, I bring Himalayan flavors together with Indian classics and seasonal California ingredients. Every dish honors where I come from, while exploring where Nepali cuisine can go next.”

For now, Ghanashyam said he is focused on building Ocean Indian Cuisine’s new menu while honoring the one that came before it.

“This chapter of my journey is only the beginning, and I am deeply grateful for the welcome and support I have received,” Ghanashyam stated. “I hope each meal brings people together and leaves them more curious about Nepal and its rich culinary heritage.”

The specials menu sits just a page away from the regular menu, both old and new combined into one restaurant. Amrit said with time, they will have a better sense of which of these new dishes will stick around, and which old ones they should let go of. Until then, both are staying on the table at Ocean Indian.

Ocean Indian Cuisine is located at 6127 Geary Blvd. and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Find more information at oceanindiancuisine.com.