Restaurants

Himalayan Spice

Nestled among the Ethiopian restaurants around the intersection of Clairmont and Briarcliff roads, Himalayan Spice is the first intown venture to focus on the gently spicy cuisine of Nepal. Though the menu occasionally overreaches in its attempts at broad appeal—margaritas and a weird riff on Caesar salad with cilantro-mint dressing seem wildly out of place—many dishes accurately introduce the flavors indigenous to the mountainous region between India and Tibet. Typical specialties from Nepal include momos (steamed dumplings stuffed with ground chicken or vegetables); hearty soups made with ground chicken and lentils or other legumes; badam and bhatmas sadeko (a snack of roasted soybeans and peanuts flavored with ginger and mustard oil); tash (goat stew with puffed rice); and goat or lamb in rich gravies. For a range of tastes, order a Himalayan thali with half a dozen intriguing small dishes gathered on a metal tray. The kitchen also tackles a cross section of well-
prepared Indian dishes spiced to the Nepali taste (mildly), with numerous vegetarian options. A huge dining room, previously a Chinese buffet, includes traditional Nepali touches such as floor cushions, brass vessels, and decorative temple bells that imbue the place with a sense of the mystical.