"Himalayan Feast" at Tibet Nepal House

Last March, I set up a sampler dinner at Tibet Nepal House and with 15 different dishes, it truly was a "Feast." Except for 2 or 3 things that were a yawn, I really enjoyed almost every dish; however, there are definite standouts that I want to mention below.

First, there were the Yak Momos (dumplings). I mentioned them in a previous post, but was curious to see how they would taste a second time around. They didn't disappoint. I'm not sure what kind of seasoning goes into that meat, but it really gives that yak meat great flavor. Just like before, I was perfectly content noshing on that Yak Momo on its own and didn't need any of the sauce to supplement it.

Then there were two chicken dishes that were just out of this world. One was the Kukhura Sekuwa, which was chicken breast marinated with sour cream and Himalayan spices. As we all know, chicken breast can lean towards being as dry as a bone, but this chicken was moist and tender with a sweet-heat flavor that was just delectable. The other was the Chyamtango Pujaari, which was chicken cooked with dry chili, cumin, garlic and Nepali spices Again, the chicken was moist and tasty and the blend of all those great spices just really pumped up the flavor volume without going over the top.

As for the vegetarian dishes, I'm a big fan of the Goodruk which consisted of prepared mustard greens, cabbage and tomato cooked with Nepali spices. I liked how the slight bitterness of the mustard greens combined with the tomato's acidity. Being a fan of bitter melon, it suited my palate. I also really enjoyed the Tofu Saag which was sauteed tofu cooked with pureed spinach and seasoned with Himalayan spices Even though the tofu was deep-fried beforehand, it still absorbed a lot of the great spinach flavor from the sauce.

Another great vegetarian addition was the Arun Valley Saag, which was fresh baby bok choy cooked with Chef's special blended sauce of ginger, garlic, onion, celery, etc. I love ginger so this dish was a hit with me at first bite and when you bring in garlic, this dish could be quite overpowering, but I think this dish is well balanced by the sweetness of the onions and the celery.

In regards to bread, I preferred the Tibetan bread which was deep fried whole wheat bread. It had a light crispy texture that was really enjoyable to eat. I didn't care too much for the Chyamtange Dhopzi, a stone-ground whole wheat leavened bread because of its too chewy texture. It reminded me of bad pita bread.

As for dessert, the house-made rice pudding is always a hit with me. It's light, creamy and offers just the right amount of sweet to end my meal without me feeling as if I over did it.

Overall, this was a great dinner. After all that food, I think all of us could have been rolled out of the door, assuming we would have fit. I have to say that I've never been disappointed by a meal at Tibet Nepal House and this one was no exception.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600170095363/

Tibet Nepal House
36 E Holly St
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 585-9955
http://www.tibetnepalhouse.com/

Tibet Nepal House

With the sheer number of restaurants I go to every month, sometimes it'll take me awhile to re-visit old favorites, which is why close to 2 years since my last visit, I finally made it back to Tibet Nepal House in Pasadena and I'm glad I did.

Since my last meal there, there's a new owner plus the menu has been re-vamped and I saw some items on the menu I've never seen before, namely Yak dishes. With Yak being a staple meat of the Himalayas, it made sense for it be served at this restaurant, but that wasn't available under the previous owners.

Anyway, with three of us there for dinner, we ordered 7 different dishes. We started our meal with the House Special Sampling Platter Combo which consisted of 4 different appetizers:

Aloo Achaar - Boiled Potatoes garnished with spring onions, cilantro, chili, turmeric and roasted sesame-seed paste served at room temprature

Himalayan Chicken - tender chicken marinated overnight in Himalayan spices

Vegetable Mo-Mo - vegetable dumplings

Cheese Pakora - deep-fried cheese, battered with chickpeas flour and seasoned with spices.

Of the four, I really liked the spicing of the potatoes and marinade flavor of the chicken. Following this appetizer platter were the Yak Mo-Mos, which are basically seasoned ground yak meat stuffed in dumplings. Wow, those yak dumplings were so good. In fact, they were so good that I just ate them plain because I didn't want any sauce to take away from the flavor of the meat as it was. What was nice was that there wasn't any gamey taste at all to the yak, which may be a concern to some.

We also ordered two vegetable dishes, a spinach and an eggplant dish. There was nothing special about either one. Both were solid dishes, although I did think that the eggplant wasn't cooked long enough.

Other savory dishes included the Sherpa Stew and the Laangsha Sekuwa. The Sherpa Stew is simmered chicken with rice, vegetables and Himalayan spices in this wonderful thick and hearty soup. It's an outstanding dish and is one of those kind of stews that would both warm you and sustain you on a cold wintery day or night.

As for the Laangsha Sekuwa, which was a tenderloin beef that was marinated overnight with Himalayan spices, the flavor of the marinade was great, sweet and smoky, but I think the meat could have been more tender. If it was, this dish would have been perfect.

For dessert, we all shared the Mt. Everest in a Blanket which is ice cream rolled in crepes topped with chocolate sauce. Definitely not a traditional Himalayan dessert, but you really can't go wrong with ice cream and chocolate sauce, can you?

Overall, it was great to come back to Tibet Nepal House and I'll definitely not wait 2 years to come back again.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594558914804/

Tibet Nepal House
36 E Holly St
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 585-9955
www.tibetnepalhouse.com/