I am usually the one in my friend group to try all the new
things, especially food. I will try anything twice. This is how I maintain my
beach body, if the beach has an all-you-can-eat buffet. No matter where I go, I
will go out of my way to find the local eatery that does NOT cater to the usual
tourist if need be. Friends warn me that this is how you get robbed, but so far
the worst that has happened is that I got indigestion from fermented soy beans.
I usually just get a quick lesson in the local language or a fun game of charades
as I try to match a Kanji character with the model food displayed in the window
of a noodle shop. The cost of traveling is a bit steep, though. So imagine my
joy when I found out I don’t have to go to all the way Nepal to try Nepali
cuisine; I can just head to West Henrietta Road.
Bhutanese
native Jagat Gurung brought his family to the United States six years ago, after
they spent about 23 years in a Nepal refugee camp. Since living stateside, he
worked hard to get the capital to open his restaurant, and in March, Nepali
Kitchen opened its doors. The whole family helps him run the shop, including
extended family. His son Parmin says they plan to expand to the space adjacent
to the restaurant, to open a Nepali market as well. Rochester’s growing Bhutanese-Nepali
community will likely appreciate his growth and success.
I know
little about Nepal and Bhutan beyond their locations in the Himalayas, the fact
that Mt. Everest is there, and that Nepal has the most uniquely shaped national
flag. Food-wise, I wondered what they would have to offer. Since Nepal is
sandwiched between China to the north and India to the south, would there be
any influence of either regions? With Bangladesh on its eastern border, would I
get a little bit of extra spice in my meal? Would it have its own style, dense
and hearty, given its location in such a cold region of the world?
The answer
to all of these questions is yes. Nepali Kitchen’s food is rich and filling. It
marries cooking styles of China with flavor portfolios from India, and vice
versa. Despite the hints of other regions I could detect, all the food stood
out on its own to make this a unique dining experience.
Many
restaurants have so much packed into their menus that it’s overwhelming to run
through it. If I wanted to read a novel before my meal, I would go to the
Cheesecake Factory. The menu at Nepali Kitchen is two pages, yet still full of
a myriad of options that reflect the culinary staples of the region.
The first
thing that jumped out at me was the momo ($7), which are vegetable, pork, or
chicken dumplings. I’ve had a version of them in Indian and Chinese restaurants,
and this style was just as delicious. The vegetable momo have a balanced,
sweet-savory taste. The Aloo paratha ($5), which is flatbread stuffed with
seasoned potatoes, was a new dish for me, but it combines two things I love, and
is like a pocket of joy.
And the Sel
roti ($5) is a lightly sweet, rice flour fried dough ring, kind of like a large
doughnut, but not as heavy. The ring is served with sabji, a dipping sauce full
of onions, chickpeas, and spices. It is hard to put them down once picked up,
but I did need to save some space for the main course.
At the top
of the menu are Nepali Thali sets. A Thali set is a traditionally Indian manner
of serving food: A large, round platter is filled with a series small dishes,
each with a specific food item in it. Unless you’re ravenous, this is a sharing
dish. Nepali Kitchen offers all-vegetable ($10.99), chicken ($11.99), and
mutton ($12.99) versions of the Thali Sets. They are all served with white rice
and an assortment of stewed, steamed, and fried vegetables. Alternately, the
dhindo set ($10.99) includes all of the components of the Thali set, except
instead of rice you get dhindo, a Nepali dish made by bringing water to a boil
and constantly mixing in the flours of maize and other grains until it is a
smooth, thick consistency.
No matter
what you get at Nepali Kitchen, be sure you bring a friend or two. Just as the
restaurant is successful thanks to the help of the whole family, you will have
a much more enjoyable experience bringing friends to share in this culinary
experience. The price is right, too; $25 kept my party of three full for hours.
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2019.
