Jennifer C.
Yelp
Much like the serenity and subtlety of Tibetan/Nepalese culture, Thakali Kitchen embodies these same attributes. You walk into a calm oasis, which makes you feel as though you've entered a temple and are about to feast on some ethereal food. Sadly however, this would be a bit dramatic or even far-reaching of a compliment for a meal that is not as ambitious as are your expectations for it.
The food here is almost a bit shy. Nothing really pounces upon your palate when it has the potential to do so. In this respect, it falls short.
The other night, we ordered a few appetizers and some veggie momos. I enjoyed the "aloo chilly" which was the most memorable dish in my opinion. It's a very spicy plate (ok, this dish was the exception) full of bite-sized morsels of fragrant potatoes. I wish I could tell you what aromatics were involved in the making of this, but I could only sense maybe paprika and cardamon? Either way, it was excellent. The chick pea salad however, was a bit pedestrian and all the colorful and appetizing dressing did not make it any more interesting than a one-note salad that was good, but not exotic and/or extraordinary as hoped.
The vegetable momos (I would have gotten meat, but I'm on a veggie kick this month), were actually good. I especially like the trio of sauces that accompanied them. The sweet sauce was my favorite though it was more spicy than sweet which was misleading. I wasn't fond of the tomato sauce (?) as it just seemed like an even spicier version of the former. And safe to say I didn't even try the hot sauce, as we all know heat is just not my territory. The momo skins were tender and warm, the vegetables were hearty (carrot-mushroom-cabbage medley?), and this simple dish went down easily. For my entree I ordered the mustard greens with a side of rice. The verdict? Tolerable, but I'd never get it again. For a small bowl of greens, this set me back $7.00 (if I remember correctly), and to me, that is just a tiny bit outrageous.
Our meal took a while to come during a relatively calm dinner night. Aside from the two of us, there were only about a handful of other patrons. Service however, was very kind and gracious which made the wait time palatable.
The restaurant is deceptively large. I counted about ten 4-tops among other tables that seat between 2 to a larger party of say, 6 or 8 people.
The prices here are moderate. I feel as though you don't actually quite get the bang for your buck. I see that there's a lunch special menu which is more acceptable for the food and quality you get versus what you pay for it. I think entrees run about $6 during the weekday from this menu, which would be wise to check out especially, if you are interested in Tibetan/Nepalese food and have never tried it before, or if you are one with a penchant for delicate flavors.
I've had better versions of such in the city, so to come back to Thakali Kitchen might take a bit of arm-twisting.