Nangma Restaurant & Bar

Find the Greatest Hits of Tibetan and Sichuanese Fare at This Queens Newcomer | Eater NY

"Open only a month, this Elmhurst restaurant was miraculously transplanted from a southern suburb of Minneapolis by a pair of Tibetan siblings, Sonam Jyit Nhasang and Chusang Dolma Nhasang, who prefer to be known as the Nhasang sisters. The space occupies a former Cantonese banquet hall with spotlights on a soaring ceiling, ethnographic artifacts in display boxes, an intimate banquet room overlooking the main floor, and a Tibetan music video playing as crimson-robed monks enjoyed a steamer of momos. The momos themselves are serious—big, bulging, creased along the top, available steamed ($12) or fried ($14) with fillings of beef, pork, chicken, or vegetable; the fried pork dumplings arrived bronzed with a compact meatball interior and a red chile sauce reminiscent of sriracha. The menu offers 11 Tibetan entrees, including beef shapta ($15), a tender julienne stir-fry with garlic, ginger, scallions and a touch of tomato sauce, and the best Tibetan dish we tried, beef thenthuk: a powerhouse soup with a rich pink, herb-scented broth and anarchically torn noodles that pairs perfectly with the ting momo, a massive braided steamed bun that is the only Tibetan bread on the menu. Much of the Sichuan cooking here is as good as one might find in Flushing or Sunset Park—dishes swimming in red chile oil with a generous dusting of powdered peppercorns that deliver a Novocaine-like tingle. Six seafood dishes are listed separately from nine Sichuan entrees; we tried the braised fish filet with napa cabbage ($20), which was fiery and relentlessly red, and noted other items that show the kitchen’s flexibility (Grand Marnier walnut shrimp, and a Chongqing chicken served with breaded nuggets rather than the usual naked, bony pieces). There are also vegetarian options such as shredded potatoes with green peppers ($15) and milder Tibetan-Chinese staples like plain fried noodles and fried rice. The bold presentation of Sichuan-level spice across much of the menu, paired with careful execution of Tibetan standards at a level above the casual Himalayan spots of Jackson Heights, makes this place well worth checking out." - Robert Sietsema