Restaurant Review - Kathmandu Kitchen
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Joanna Lumley attracted a lot of publicity for the State of Nepal in recent times when she took up the cause of the legendary Ghurkas, a fiercesome and brave military unit in the British Army who were being denied the right to live in the U.K. despite their military service for Britain. Miss Lumley won! However, I guess when we hear of Nepal, the first thing we think of is the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. It is not a place that many of us realistically would have visited until more recent years when the world suddenly became a smaller place and the adventurous took off! Landlocked on the north by Tibet and China, and on the south by India, its culinary influences are many and varied which makes it interesting and, if you like Indian cuisine, you will definitely like the food of Nepal.
Kathmandu Kitchen is a new Nepalese & Indian restaurant just opened on Dublin’s Dame Street and we liked its easy friendly atmosphere and ample portions of spicy aromatic food. The décor is rustic with red painted walls, and a service bar to the right as you go in. The menu is extensive but the Nepalese staff and owner, Raj Koirala, are eager to advise, and Indian foodaphiles will easily recognize many of the Nepalese dishes as being similar to those on Indian menus.
Mo Mo’s are meat filled dumplings, and one of the most famous of Nepalese dishes. Herbed and spiced meatballs, wrapped in a simple flour and water dough, they are substantial enough to get you half way up the North Face of the Everest. MoMo’s take their influences from China and Tibet where the meat fillings used range from chicken and goat to buffalo meat, but they are more robust than Chinese dumplings. Various regions have their own specialties, including the eponymous Kathmandu, where yak and pork meat are the most popular. Herbs and spices also vary and no doubt every home in Nepal has their own favourite concoction. In some Tibetan restaurants you have to order Mo Mo’s twenty four hours in advance so, seeing them here readily available on the menu, we had to have them. What I did miss, in my determined focusing on ordering them, was that they were a starter for two and our second starter of Tareko Jhinga (€8.95) – lightly battered and deep fried prawns – was probably superfluous– however I guess not everyone will be a dumpling fan so it was good to try them. As to the MoMo’s (€13) in question, an ample plate arrived with a dozen perfect specimens circling a dish of MoMo sauce. We dipped and dunked these chicken filled dumplings which had been tossed in a ginger and garlic paste, and decided that they are something that you could kind of become addicted to, like Italian meatballs for some, and what you would always have when you went to a Nepalese eatery.
The menu suits all palates. There is a list of Kathmandu Sizzler Specialties reminiscent of Chinese restaurants, Nepalese Curry Specialities, as well as All Time Favourite Curries. Mains prices run from vegetarian options at €10 up to €17.95 for seafood sizzlers. Brendan first ordered Gorkhali curry which carried a ‘3 chilli’ symbol warning but, with a warning from the waiter and memories of a previous very very hot Nepalese curry, he turned chicken in favour of a milder, somewhat apt, Himalayan chicken curry (€14.95) with rice (€3), a traditional Sherpa dish with Himalayan spices, yoghurt and coriander. It proved delicious, plentiful and not too hot and can be had with lamb or prawn at a couple of euros more. I had a cracking, and again very plentiful, Fewatal Scallops Sizzler (€17.95) lavish with fried scallops tossed with garlic chilli sauce served on a hot sizzling dish with onions, peppers, and Peshwari Naan (€3.50) to the side.
With a bottle of Tommasi Viticoltori Valpolicella 2011 (€26) our bill with optional service came to €96.35 for a very enjoyable evening. I will definitely be hiking to KK again. They also do lunch.
Kathmandu Kitchen,
18 Dame Street,
Dublin. 2.
Tel: (01) 611-1706
www.lucindaosullivan.com