It's All in the Blend!
James Crombleholme and Graham Russell review Kathmandu
Think of Nepal and you probably think of Mount Everest,
the Dali Lama and the Yeti, but 
did you ever wonder about the food? Many Bristolians have in fact been enjoying the cuisine of Nepal and India at the
family run Kathmandu takeaways since 1979. However it was in 2003 that they at last realised their dream of owning and
running a Nepalese and Indian restaurant.
Situated oppositte the Colston Hall, in Colston Tower, Kathmandu specialises in
'Exquisite Nepalese and Indian Cuisine'.
The main premise of Nepalese cuisine is that the flavour is created by the use and blend of spices not by the over use of fat. We wanted to find out what is special about the food and so we went along for a Nepalese experience.
The restaurant can be best described as stylish, you immediately want to find out what the food is like as the décor is so fine. Having never eaten Nepalese we decided to be led by the family and asked them to choose for us so that we could try a selection of different dishes. We drank delicious Nepalese beer, Khukuri (named after a fighting knife probably for its clean cut flavour!), a pint bottle served perfectly at a super chilled temperature.
We started with 'Wo', pronounced Waw; unique to Kathmandu it uses chicken, lamb and spices made into
patties with lentils. These were served beautifully and gave us our first taste of the scrumptious
spicy flavours to come.
Next came an abundance of mouth-watering dishes with no trace of oil or fat on the
surface or around the food, it all looked so appetising.
We thoroughly enjoyed the spiciness 
of Chhoyla, hot and spicy lamb served on a sizzler.
The Kancha Kukhura, named after the clay oven in which it is cooked (rather like a tandoori),
was full of flavour and moist. Lamb Kritipur was 'casseroled' so the whole spices could be tasted
throughout while the lamb was so tender it just fell apart.
Sunkoski, a speciality spiced salmon fillet that took salmon to a totally different level.
All this was served with Allo Tarkari, a wonderful potato dish that will rival even the best
Bombay potatoes you've had, scrummy!
Ordinarily we would not have had as much if we were ordering for ourselves, but we were so glad to be
able to try so many different dishes we couldn't help ourselves but keep eating.
So you will not be surprised to hear that after this
feast we didn't indulge any further. We both agreed that the difference that Nepal's cuisine offers
is well worth a try, in fact for curry lovers it's an absolute must!
In such classy surroundings the whole experience is one that you will remember and have you returning,
like us, very soon.
from Bristol Secretary Issue 205 October 2005
This article © Bristol Secretary 2005
