PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIANever been to Nepal? This is as good a place to start as any. The small Hawthorn restaurant is all about the Himalayan nation, as the name suggests. The photographs on the walls are of those immense mountains and some of the great people who have made their lives on their slopes. The tables are set with cloths, so there’s a certain formality to dinner here, but you’ll find it’s not actually very formal when you get down to eating.
Nepal’s geographical position explains much about its food – the cuisine is that of a border nation. Landlocked between Tibet, China and India, some dishes seem to be quite Indian in fragrance while others are more Chinese in form. There are steamed dumplings to start, or curry puffs, and there is goat curry and the traditional chow chow – a fried noodle dish with vegetables and meat of your choice. Not sure what to have, or in what order? The banquet ($25 a head) gives you a taste of many dishes, all easy to eat, in quantities precisely judged according to the number of people. The curries are particularly good, and not very hot – a positive or a negative, depending on taste. Take-away is also available.
Rita Erlich