We had to blink when we first set eyes on this joint. Boy, was it small or was it small. If first impressions count for something, then Himalaya Kitchen would be in deep strife by now. But thankfully in the restaurant business, it has always been about the food; you don’t judge a place (even if its dining floor is smaller than the living room of a standard five-room HDB flat) by its frontage. Anyways, don’t let its poky premises put you off—this place serves up authentic North Indian and Nepalese delights. We went on a weeknight and found it relatively quiet, although it was by no means empty. The service was warm, smiley and obliging and soon we found ourselves tucking into their lovely freebie pappadoms—the accompanying mint chutney is a blast! The menu is in-depth and despite the establishment’s name, it serves up classics from the length and breadth of the sub-continent like briyanis and Goan fish curries. The Zasta Kabab is a wonderful starter of sweet-tasting (warning: They’re filling!) minced chicken kebabs and the Jhinga Joshina is an excellent prawn-based dish, ditto the traditional chicken-based Nepalese dumpling momo. Their selection of naan breads are also worth a shout-out, we tried the butter, cheese and garlic varieties and loved it so much that we asked for takeaways. We also plumped for a couple of vegetarian numbers—Bombay Dal Shorb and Veg Jalfrezi—and they went down oh-so-well with the naans. The Daal Makhani, a classic from these parts consisting of boiled lentils and cream was a bit of a downer. The service is good; the front-of-house does everything that’s required although you must be prepared to wait for your dishes.
Himalaya Kitchen has shifted to Macpherson Road.
