Himalayan Kitchen

He said:

As we entered the Himalayan Kitchen, we discovered a new world of color, from the mossy green walls to the vibrant yellow tablecloths and bright red cloth napkins. Remnants of Valentine’s Day ribbons and balloons still hung on the walls. Upbeat music with percussion and Indian-language singing—no meditative sitars—added to the pleasant, festive atmosphere.

The Himalayan Kitchen once offered a lunch buffet, but it has been discontinued, probably another pandemic casualty. Instead, we perused their normal menu, with plenty of options. The menu featured traditional dishes from Nepali and India. Entire sections of the menu were devoted to Tandoori specialties and Himalayan dishes. Plenty of vegetarian and gluten free options were available.

Vegetarian diets are quite prevalent in India, at least in the southern city of Bangalore, which I once visited. We didn’t have trouble finding meaty options, but we did have to look for the “non-veg” signs, as they were in the minority. The corporate cafeteria where I ate lunch offered only one non-veg option each day, while they served half a dozen or more meatless dishes. It was an unfamiliar experience for me, but I enjoyed many interesting foods.

We decided to take a chance on the Chef Special, a South Indian dish with a Himalayan twist. It featured chicken simmered with onion, potatoes, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and “house-crafted spices.” Kathy made sure to ask for the mild version, as she doesn’t enjoy the spicier fare. It came as a beautifully dark orange preparation in a hammered copper serving bowl. Its thick sauce smelled and tasted wonderful, with many layers of flavor. I enjoyed it, but on first tasting it, I worried that even the mild version might be a bit much for Kathy. Sure enough, she did find it a bit hot. I suggested she might try one of the several Lassis (mango, banana, and strawberry) to offset the spiciness. Alas, the relaxed service meant we couldn’t attract a waiter to order a rescue lassi. (Huh. “Rescue lassi”. I wonder if that’s how the drink got its name. Nah, probably not).

For our second dish, we had ordered the Lamb Korma. This creamy yellow-orange dish included morsels of lamb cooked with onion, cashews, golden raisins, and curry spices. It had a smooth sauce with maybe just a bit of sweetness, and no spicy heat to worry Kathy. The sauce complemented the lamb well. I enjoyed every last bit of it.

We also enjoyed the Sweet Naan to accompany our meal. In this case, the traditional tandoor oven-baked flatbread was stuffed with raisins, nuts, coconut, and cherries. It sounds like a dessert and served well enough as one, but I ate it with my meal and loved it. I think my Indian friends may have preferred a more savory naan, but they tend to use naan as an eating utensil, folding pieces as pincers to scoop up their food. That’s fine, but I used a fork and enjoyed the sweet naan as its own feature.

She said:

What Brian calls “mossy green” is what I’d more accurately refer to as “pear” 😜. The tablecloths can be described as amber, and the leather booth benches were a deeper shade of amber, with bands of crimson and orange cloth upholstery across the backs. Continuing with the bursts of color, the linen napkins were a vibrant, bright red. Is the Himalayan Kitchen a fancy restaurant? No, but it’s spacious and welcoming.

Brian has done a great job of describing the food, so there isn’t much that I can add except to say that the Chef Special wasn’t just “hot.” It just about burned my tongue off! I shoveled rice and naan bread into my mouth to quell the heat a bit, to no great avail. Because I couldn’t finish eating the chicken, I foisted it upon Brian by plunking it onto his plate. I happily polished off the Lamb Korma, though. It was thick, creamy, and delicious, truly enjoyable. Because of the rice, sweet naan, and the amount of Lamb Korma I had, the fact that I couldn’t finish the chicken didn’t mean that I actually left hungry.

But c’mon. “Mild” should mean mild, not “there’s enough spice in this dish to warrant a call to the local fire department.” Sheesh. (Yes, my taste buds are that sensitive).

Conclusion:

The Himalayan Kitchen is a bright, colorful restaurant with a large selection of Indian and Nepali cuisine.