Tasting new food has always been a special occasion. Whether it was the different textures or unusual flavours, nothing better explains a country than its food. From a total fiascos to rare gems, there is no way of telling the outcome without tasting. After hopping from one place to another, I am finally taking a break from the usual Japanese/Italian/Chinese/Modern Australian dining. This time around, Himalayan food. After so many failed attempts to land a indoor booking due to indecisiveness and hesitation, we finally braved the cold and took a sit outside.
After nibbling on spiced nuts our starters arrived. The first appetizer for the night was the lollipop chicken!
This chicken is the Chinese version of boxing chicken. With the meat of the drummet pushed to the top to give a wholesome feel in one bite. The marinade were good but to me, it did not feel as tasty as it can be. But the pungent onion ring did have a good taste to it and when you dip it in the mint yoghurt, wow! The flavours were pretty good! Not intense but OK!
Next up was Momo! The Himalayan answer to the Chinese Shanghai Pork Dumplings. These were decadent despite its skin being too thick. However though, this would really be a matter of personal preference. For example. I did not quite like it at first because the spices in the jus just seems to have overpowered the flavour of the meat which one would get in a typical dumpling. But then again, this is not your typical dumpling! This is Momo! The Himalayan Dumpling. The accompanying sauce was a welcoming addition. It was slightly sweet with a good hint of tomato. Not bad! Overall, this was an interesting eat!
Looking at the menu, it was clear that the mains have a strong Indian influence. The curries and such were really quite close but not really the same. Personally, I did not find the spices as strong as the one in a typical Indian curry except for one particular dish. But it is this subtleness which carried a special feeling about this. To go with curries we had a variety of the carbs from naans to saffron rice. All very typically Indian.
The cheese naan! Pretty yums!
Chara ko Sekuwa a Napalese’s reinterpretation of the tandoori. Tender pieces of chicken thigh marinated in special Nepalese spices with yoghurt, cooked in a Tandoori oven. I really cannot complain at all. I really enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed this more than I would normally enjoy Chicken Tikka or Tandoori! The spices were spot on, the dip was refreshing, and most importantly, the chicken was cooked to perfection. This one, I like! Even this got fishman’s seal of approval!
Tender chicken :)!
Himalayan Hot Chicken had boneless pieces of chicken cooked in authentic Nepalese style very hot curry, finished with fresh coriander.
This was my sister’s favourite that night. The spicy sauce went really well with the rice. Like I have mentioned before, the subtleness in spices made the chicken feel really light on the palate yet tasty.
Last pic for the night was the goat curry. This dish was the superb delish albeit being on the salty side. Goat meat of the bone is one of the best curries for me. Indian, Mamak or whatever really. This has always tasted divine in the hands of the right chef! For me this was another thing I liked.
Goat Curry
Other than the curries above, we also ordered a fish curry which to me was OMG so smelly. Then again I am fussy with my fish @@! At the end of the meal, I was filled to the bream. More importantly, satisfied. I guess there really is a good reason why the restaurant has always been fully booked on the weekends if one is late. As for my Himalayan experience, I guess it went pretty well with a below 10 degree weather although when compared, it would pale in comparison with the Everest. With tasty curries and delicious dumplings, it was hard to complain! Good eat! And oh, their service is pretty slow and they did stuff up our order, but what matter is their apologies and they made it up to us with a free basket of naan :)! haha good service in my opinion!
WenY
