Six recommendations at Himalayan Yeti

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Photo by Pat Eby

Himalayan Yeti is located at 3515 S. Kingshighway (at Oleatha).

Word is spreading like a favorable weather forecast at Everest Base Camp.

The lunch buffet at the recently opened Himalayan Yeti delivers delicious Nepalese and Indian food at a reasonable price ($9.99), including Indian pickles to soups to such rotating main dishes as biryani and chicken tikka masala. An attentive staff kept the buffet well-stocked, plates cleared from tables, and glasses filled even at the busiest times. Return for dinner, and try the chef’s specialties. Here are six recommendations when planning a visit.

Photo by Pat Eby

1. Don’t miss the bread service. Naan is served several ways: plain, topped with garlic, stuffed with melty cheese, and with chilis in the cheese melt. But naan isn’t the only bread available at Himalayan Yeti. Try the kulcha, a leavened bread baked in a clay oven. Order it stuffed with paneer (pictured at right), a fresh, dry-curd seasoned cheese that adds plenty of  zip. There's an onion-stuffed version, too. Also recommended: aloo paratha, an unleavened bread stuffed with buttery-tasting potatoes. There's also plain paratha and roti—ideal for sopping up pickles, raita, and sauces.

Photo by Pat Eby

Steamed chicken and vegetable momos, traditional favorites in Nepal, are served with a spicy dipping sauce.

2. Order the momos. These plump dumplings, filled with chicken or vegetables, might look like pot stickers, but the resemblance ends once you get past the wrapper. Order them steamed or fried. Ground chicken is seasoned with finely minced onion, garlic, cilantro, and spices in a wrap; the veggie version also bursts with flavor. Served with a momo sauce of tomato, sesame seeds, and Himalayan peppers, they're just spicy enough to please both pepper lovers and the timid.

Photo by Pat Eby

3. Consider the goat curry. Sometimes, this dish shows up on the buffet. The uninitiated might place a dab or two on the plate, only to return for more. The requisite bones add flavor to this well-seasoned dish. Billy goat gruff? Not even close. It's as tender as can be.

4. Sample both chicken options. The Chicken Choila appetizer (pictured at right) and Sekuwa Chicken entrée both feature generous chunks of chicken, spiced and garnished with fresh onion slices and herbs. These traditional Nepalese dishes might look alike, but appearances are deceiving. A bracing spiciness defines the Chicken Choila, which benefits from a blend of chiles, cumin, paprika, and Nepalese spices, spiked with lime juice. It would go down well with a good pilsner, an IPA, or a hoppy pale ale. In contrast, the Sekuwa Chicken isn't nearly as spicy and has an enticing aroma of grilled meat, ginger, garlic, thinly sliced green chiles, and Nepalese spices.

5. Try the beaten and puffed rice. Beaten rice, or poha, has been soaked and flattened (beaten) to dehydrated rice-shaped flakes. Irregularly shaped puffed rice, or mamra, tasted of citrus and salt. (During the next visit we'll try both again, but with sauced dishes like the goat curry with bones, or chicken curry, saag, or tikka masala.)

6. Top it all off with a trio of sweets. Kheer (a rice pudding) and gulab jaman (donut-like ‘sweet balls’ in a honeyed simple syrup with finely grated coconut) are offered from both the buffet and the menu. Rasmulai, a light cheesecakes in a sweet milk, also hit the mark.