[sandynva]

This Sunday I walked by a place called Himalayan Heritage in Adams Morgan. It says it serves indo-nepali food, and some of the things on the menu looked intriguing. Has anyone been?

[DonRocks]

They have a Buy One, Get One Free coupon here that's good through October 10th.

[Sthitch]

Is Chowmein really an authentic Nepalese dish?

[DonRocks]

Sthitch, on Sep 30 2008, 04:23 PM, said:

Is Chowmein really an authentic Nepalese dish?

Click

[Sthitch]

DonRocks, on Sep 30 2008, 04:26 PM, said:

Click

Well I am happy I asked the question or I would have never known.

[Tweaked]

indo-nepali restaurant serving Gao fish curry...

Probably worth checking out though with the free coupon.

[sandynva]

DonRocks, on Sep 30 2008, 04:18 PM, said:

They have a Buy One, Get One Free coupon here that's good through October 10th.

thanks for the tip! i should visit them soon, i guess!

[DonRocks]

One thing you'll notice about Himalayan Heritage is that they're trying to be a restaurant and not a bar. That, in and of itself, is a big difference between it and many of its competitors, and a reason why this restaurant is going to have to fight tooth-and-nail to survive here.

It's an attractive, medium-sized, mom-and-pop style restaurant, with waitstaff - some of whom may be Nepalese - who probably have never worked in restaurants before. They are as green as can be, but the eagerness to please is there.

You're first presented with a wine list which is simply unacceptable. I fear that Himalayan Heritage is banking on people ordering wine with dinner, but they'll need to do a lot better than this, and for now, you're best off sticking with beer here. The friendly server brought out a complimentary plate of Bhatamas Sadeko (#3, $4.25), mild cold soybeans roasted in a strong-smelling ginger-garlic paste, with a little lemon juice and coriander.

Wanting to try something vegetarian, I ordered the Steamed Momo (#3, $9.25), which were steamed dumplings stuffed with a housemade hash of cabbage, carrots, and Nepalese spices, the whole thing served with a little hot chutney sauce. The filling of these dumplings was good and homey, but the dumplings themselves (probably purchased) were thick, starchy, and became cumbersome after awhile - for four people, this dish might work well, but I'd advise against getting it as carryout, and would consider getting it fried next time.

I heavily emphasized that I'd like to try Nepalese dishes - the type that someone from Nepal would order - and was steered to an excellent dish, the Sag Ko Tarkari (#11, $8.95). This was sauteed FRESH spinach sauteed with tomato, onion, garlic, and ginger. Himalayan Heritage advertised that they use 100% olive oil in their cooking which, I must say, sounded a little strange to me for this type of cuisine, but this dish was clean and it worked very well. Many, many examples of Indian Saag are made with frozen spinach, and this dish is a cut above and something I'd absolutely order again.

One of the most expensive things on the menu is the Himalayan Karahi ($17.95) a dish starting with pink-marinated, boneless chicken and lamb kabobs complete with skewer holes, sliced thin, and finished in an iron souk with peppers, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, capiscum (!), and a little red wine (!), and served on a metal plate. The flavors of this dish are primarily cumin, coriander, and salt, and while the meat was slightly dried out, it was an interesting and complex wok-fry. As I read this paragraph, I see that I'm making the dish sound a bit better than it actually was - $17.95 is a lot of money for two kabobs, and while I enjoyed it, I'd probably move on to something else next time.

I have a soft spot for restaurants such as Himalayan Heritage. If this were in a low-rent strip mall in the suburbs, I wouldn't worry about its long-term future, but competing for the Adams Morgan bar dollar, it may just have a tough time. While I wouldn't travel to Adams Morgan just to dine here again, I'd absolutely consider it if I lived in the neighborhood, and it would certainly be on my list for carryout as well.

When I returned to my car, there was a Himalayan Heritage brochure on my windshield wiper. They're trying, and I wish them well.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[DonRocks]

I tried Himalayan Heritage for the second time last night, and I'm glad I did. This restaurant is run by friendly, attentive staff, and they feature several Nepalese dishes I haven't seen anywhere else.

Once again, I got a complimentary order of Bhatamas Sadeko (#3, $4.25), a cold, mildly spicy plate of roasted soybeans that went well with my Gin and Tonic (I drained the last of their Plymouth with this drink).

For my first course, an appetizer: Samaya Baji (#11, $5.95) was a fascinating composed plate of "beaten rice" (which has the consistency of dry, flat coconut), tempura-like catfish, a boiled-then-fried egg, roast pork, and a bit more of the Bhatamas Sadeko. This is all presented on the plate separately, and it's fun to nibble at the components, but then it's meant to ultimately be stirred together.

Then for the main, I combined a second appetizer, Kukhura ko Sekuwa (#12, $5.99), with an entree recommended by my server, Acharya Began (#4, $9.99). The former was a fairly standard kabob of chicken breast, and was really brought to life by the three excellent homemade chutneys aachars with which it was served, and also by the excellent Acharya Began, which is eggplant roasted in a clay oven, presented in a curry-like fashion. An order of Raita ($2.25) was too thin and watery, but an Herb Naan ($3.25) was a very good rendition.

As a whole, I'm fairly impressed by Himalayan Heritage, and for now, I've elevated it in the Dining Guide to just behind Cashion's Eat Place as the number two restaurant in Adams Morgan. That is at once saying a lot (there is a lot of competition) and not much at all (most of the competition isn't very good).

Cheers,
Rocks.

[New Foodie]

I forgot to write about my trip here from a couple weeks ago, but my friends and I were all pleasantly surprised by this find in Adams Morgan. I was there WAY early for our reservation, and while I was sitting at the bar they brought out those spicy soy beans (we got more at the table too once we were seated).

Everyone at our table ordered the Muglin Thali, or non-vegetarian combination meal. For $18.95, this really is a good deal since it includes an appetizer, tastes of two entrees plus lentils, naan and rice, rice pudding for dessert, plus a glass of house wine and tea. Most entrees are between $10-14 or so, and if you're also getting something to drink, it's a good way to introduce yourself to the restaurant. Next time I will probably try something new, but I really enjoyed the thali.

Our app was the Samaya Baji than Rocks describes above. Of course no one told us until we were halfway through eating it that it was all supposed to be mixed together, so we were certainly the stupid Americans on that one . It was still very tasty though.

Mains included a smaller portion of Khukhura ko masu (Boneless chicken pieces stir fried in ginger and garlic, cooked in mild tomato sauce in nepali style) and Palak Paneer (Spinach cooked with cubes of cottage cheese delicately spiced and garnished with chopped ginger) along with Tarka Daal (Lentils cooked with mild spices touch with garlic). The chicken was by far the standout, but the spinach and lentils were nice for some variety. A generous portion of rice and naan were served alongside.

I'm not much of a fan of rice pudding, so I only took a few timid bites of mine, but I'm sure it is a nice end to the meal for some.

It's too bad I live across town from this place, cause if I was in the neighborhood I would certainly go back soon or order for delivery.

[Waitman]

Sadly the chutney that we ordered to accompany the butter chicken was not, as Don's was, house-made. "Imported from England" bragged the menu but it might have been from wherever they make Smucker's jams, for all the sweetness and monotony it added to the dish. And the Butter Chicken, dry and bland, needed something. The daal were watery and forgetable, as well. Some highlights: the pani puri were quite swell, and the momo were also tasty. Horded by the kids and so only vaguely tasted: samosas and and the cauliflower Gobi seemed pretty OK.

Service and room were wonderful and welcoming. I might go back. But, given the praise here and elsewhere, I had expected better.

Oh yeah -- those soybeans are indeed hot shit.

[DonRocks]

Waitman, on 02 July 2009 - 09:11 PM, said:

Sadly the chutney that we ordered to accompany the butter chicken was not, as Don's was, house-made. "Imported from England" bragged the menu but it might have been from wherever they make Smucker's jams, for all the sweetness and monotony it added to the dish.

Sorry, I meant to say "aachars" not "chutneys."

[goodeats]

Back in late January, I really wanted to try this place, so I decided to head here at around 2:30pm, despite the fact that they close at 3:00pm for lunch. The staff was most gracious and accommodating to both the lateness of the hour AND to my garlic and onion sensitivity (in addition to the fact that I had a restaurant.com cert). I am thankful. The non-garlic and onion version of the Hans Bhutwa-Nepalese (Nepalese duck curry - $16.95) was simply outstanding. A hint of sweetness with the spice to the sauce had me sopping as much as I could with the accompanying order of naan (which is also really good here). I was also thankful for leftovers. I only wish it was closer, as New Foodie expressed as well.