Spice Market — Restaurant in San Miguel de Allende

As someone who has experienced a wide range of Asian cuisine, it pains me to write this review. I was thoroughly disappointed by my recent visit to the so-called Asian restaurant in such a prestigious 5-star hotel. Despite the waiter's clarification that this simply an "Asian-inspired" restaurant, the culinary experience fell drastically short of even the most basic expectations.

Firstly, the fundamental aspect of any Asian meal, the rice, was a already a letdown. It was mushy and oddly flavored with spices that are alien to Asian cuisine, a feat in itself given the simplicity of traditional Asian rice. Moving on to the main courses, the Sweet and Sour Pork was a far cry from what it should be. A strange fruity taste was overwhelming, with no resemblance to the authentic Asian sweet and sour flavor profile.

The Mee Goreng was another disappointment. Over-salted, excessively watery, and lacking key ingredients such as egg, it had simply no resemblance to the authentic Indonesian dish. The inclusion of rice noodles was its only connection to the original, but drowned in an unidentifiable black sauce, it was unrecognizable.

Furthermore, the Mapo Tofu was a disaster. Missing both the tofu and the signature Mapo sauce, what was served was undercooked vegetables in dark soy sauce with an an abundance of raw bean sprouts - ingredients never found in traditional Mapo Tofu.

The Pad Thai, much like the other dishes, strayed far from its Thai roots. Overly salty, with rice noodles and an unidentified grainy sauce, it lacked the balance and flavor that Thai cuisine is celebrated for.

The only redeeming feature of this establishment is its stylish decor, which, unfortunately, doesn't compensate for the lackluster and inauthentic food. It's disheartening to see such poorly executed dishes in a top-tier 5-star hotel. Perhaps a new chef is to blame, but one would expect a hotel of this caliber to ensure their chefs are adequately trained in the cuisines they're serving. This was not just unauthentic but largely inedible - a real disappointment for anyone seeking an Asian...

We went to Spice Market for a romantic dinner a couple of months ago, but we felt rushed from the start since the staff kept reminding us about the closing hour. Even though they were friendly, they started cleaning, turning the music off, putting the lights on, and bringing the bill when we were still eating and having wine. They were basically asking us to hurry because they wanted to close. I have worked in the restaurant industry and I consider this a really bad practice. It is a shame because we were enjoying the food a lot and we had high expectations about it being a great experience. After that, we will unlikely go back or recommend this place to friends or visitors. I would rather spend that amount of money in another restaurant with better...

The place, the view and the ambiance are amazing. Within its own environment its fitting enough, being within a luxury hotel, however the servers claimed all the food was meant to be shared, however the portions are tiny so in a group of 7 everyone got a tiny bite from each plate. We left still very hungry and having payed a huge bill. The servers are nice and attentive, and the quality of the food is beyond amazing. Be warned since its a terrace view, the wind chill is significant so come prepared for the temperature drop. They provide when available blankets and heaters but its often lacking. Overall a good experience but at...