Horn E.
Yelp
The heyday is over! This used to be my go-to place for Nepali cuisine, even if there was an occasional cockroach scampering on the wall. Before, it was a bargain, and the flavors were awesome! During the pandemic, as expected, prices went up, and they cut out some of my favorites, like the keema nan. Still, I craved their food. Now, the cooking has really gone downhill, and I cannot pretend anymore that hygiene is not an issue. I ordered garlic naan ($3.99), samosa chaat ($6.99), and chicken momo ($9.99) for dine in.
Unlike before, all booths were detached from the wall by a foot. At first, I couldn't figure out why. While waiting for the food, a huge mangy rat darted out from the dark gnat infested bathroom area, scurried towards the dining room, then took cover in the bar. Next, the cook came out in his soiled apron all disheveled, dripping with sweat, and shedding hairs. Alarmed, I demanded to see the health inspection score. The cashier pulled the certificate that was obscured behind a poster. This place scored a "C" (72 out of 100)! He claimed that their staff were going to mitigate the health violations within a couple of days and blamed the landlord for not adequately dealing with the rats. I was thoroughly grossed out by the vermin and at the thought of the cook excreting new flavors into my food through his stench and body secretions. At this point I should have abandoned my order or sought a refund but slogged on. Suddenly, the sound of rodents squeaking and scuffling emerged from the attic above. I looked at the server, he looked back at me and nonchalantly muttered, "Yeah...we know about it," as if this was an unremarkable everyday occurrence. He also shifted responsibility to the landlord. It became obvious that the management moved the booths away from the walls so that the rats could not find refuge there and scuttle onto their customer's feet!
The samosa chaat was a mess. They reduced the amount of chickpeas, increased the potato chunks, and smothered it with too much yogurt but not enough tamarind or cilantro-mint chutney. Even with all the toppings, they could not obscure that the crushed samosas were soggy and very stale, not freshly fried and crunchy like before. In addition, they added curry to the chaat...who does that!!!??? The chicken momo used to contain a nice juicy morsel of spiced meat bursting with flavor. This time, they looked deflated and pathetic with inferior taste to match. Inside was some kind of mystery meat mishmashed with cheesy fillers that only slightly resembled the yummy fillings of before. The gooey booger-like texture was disturbing, but at least the accompanying ginger-chili dipping sauce was still good. Regrettably, the best part of the meal was the nan, but even these were not as hefty, fluffy, and satisfying as before. I didn't recognize any of the staff that day, so perhaps it's under new management, but that's no excuse! This place has gone from one of my best to worst. It's not just the deterioration in the quality of their food that will keep me away...it's also for the sake of my health!
