Tibet Nepal House

Last night, I met an old friend for dinner in Pasadena, it was Tibetan food, a first for me. We dined at the Tibet Nepal House, located on Holly Street in the heart of downtown Pasadena. If I were to compare it to other ethnic cuisine, I would say there's a distinct connection to Indian food, minus the heat and intensity of flavor palettes. My experience with Tibetan food is very primitive obviously, but I enjoyed trying something new.

The Himalayan Chicken consisted of leg and thigh pieces roasted in a clay oven with a mixture of different spices. It sizzled to our table on a bed of onions begging us to dig in and devour. Squeeze a lemon segment over it and it brought out all the flavor from the chicken. It was moist and delicious. Masala Kukhura reminded me a Chicken Tikka Masala with its rich creamy sauce, however, it was slightly nutty and sweet. Again, the chicken was cooked to perfection. And the sauce poured on top of some rice really did the trick! A side of Aloo Phulkopi Tarkaari starred potatoes and cauliflower in a delicate sauce, cooked with onions and tomatoes. The only "downers" of the meal were the garlic naan and the rice. What can I say, I've been spoiled by Electric Lotus' garlic naan! And I could tell the rice had been sitting around, it was dry. They do feature lamb dishes, goat and yak, which is apparently what they are known for.

The restaurant offers a lunch buffet throughout the week ($8.99 during the week and $9.99 on the weekends). It may be worth trying another time for more variety, but I'd have to say this restaurant definitely "peaked" my curiosity further when it comes to Tibet and its cuisine. I will have to do some further investigation when it comes to Tibetan food in Los Angeles.