This is what Trish texted when Umami confirmed reservations for Himalayan Kitchen:
"EXCELLENT. :*) See you there!"
Umami doesn't really know what ":*)" means, but is reassured that it's at least a smiley! >=]
They had really enjoyed the first visit, and always wanted to go back to try different things (there are a lot of things to try!) and were finally getting around to going.
Himalayan Kitchen is on the second floor of a building at (roughly) the corner of 11th and Waialae in Kaimuki, across 11th from Kaimuki Community Park. The ground floor has a BBQ place, an Italian Restaurant and a little boutique. Himalayan Kitchen has a good chunk of the second floor. In the photo, they have a decent sized room to the left and the main dining room and patio (overlooks the park) is through the unpretentious doorway.
The food is "Himalayan" which is a mix Northern Indian, Nepalese and Chinese influences. But, honestly, it's hard to see any Chinese influence (well, maybe some sweet and sour type items) and Umami doesn't really have a feel for Nepalese cuisine. Suffice to say that if you like Indian food, you should be very comfortable here.
Trish loves Indian breads and, especially, Paneer. Umami's not a Paneer fan, but is a good sport, so we started with Paneer Kulcha, which is a naan with a paneer and onion filling. It arrived nice and warm and in appearance and flavor it was a breadier version of a quesadilla. There was a cilantro-based dipping sauce (you might even call it a green salsa . . . ). Trish was very happy.
We followed up with the Lamb Bhuna, which is described as "shredded lamb simply sauteed with a creamy garlic sauce with green onions." The sauce is indeed
very rich and creamy, with more than a little curry flavor. It was like a lamb curry stroganoff. It was absolutely killer on the Paneer Kulcha (Trish was very, very happy with that combination). The lamb is actually cubed, not shredded. Umami points that out because he thinks the dish is more successful that way, as if the cubed meat has more
gravitas.
It was also absolutely killer on the basmati rice. :-) To clarify, all entrees come with rice, but Umami noticed that Nepali style mash potato could be substituted.
So, with the Mix Tandoori Grill, we ordered the mashed potatoes.
This was a chunky style mashed potato, with a noticeable curry color and flavor. It's a very . . .
sincere dish that would make an excellent simple one course meal.
It would not work at all with the bhuna, and we didn't even try it that way. Maybe we should have. Next time . . .
The Mix Tandoori Grill had six pieces of Chicken Tikka (the pinkish pieces that look like salmon), shrimp, a sekh kabob (minced meat with spices prepared on a skewer) and lamb seakwa. This was okay, but only okay, as it seemed a little dry. And it was definitely suffering in comparison to the bhuna. It did, however, have some actual greens as a side. Anyway, it was a way to try a variety of meats and, having done so, no real need to order them again, especially given that there are many more interesting things on the menu.
Finally, this is the Mango Lassi. In the interest of full disclosure, it does not actually glow like this. Rather, it happened to be getting the last of the sun, and Umami had the wrong white setting on his camera. So a fortunate accident.
Overall, it was a fun (and filling!) dinner. Trish reported that she "plopped down on the rocking chair as soon as I got home, & haven't moved! :o Not watching tv, just sitting. :*)" Lol, a fine night! >=)
Himalayan Kitchen
1137 11th Ave (2nd Floor)
Honolulu, HI 96816 (808) 735-1122
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