Cafe Himalayan

[Pan]

I hadn't been to this restaurant for quite some time but I've been reading lots of positive comments about it on Chowhound and decided to stop by for dinner on my way home tonight. Perhaps I ordered right, but in any case, I had a delicious meal and plan on coming back sooner, rather than later.

I ordered the following:

Tangtsel (cabbage, carrots, peas & bean thread noodles marinated in sesame oil & vinegar), $3.75.

Shapta (A traditional Tibetan spicy beef dish sauteed w. ginger garlic & onion) with rice (paratha was the other possible accompaniment), $10.50.

Large Masala Chai, $3.

The Tangtsel was a fairly sizable portion crowded into a moderately deep elliptical dish, and tasted great! In addition to the ingredients listed on the menu, it also included a healthy dose of cilantro, which I happen to like very much. On the bottom of the dish was an outer leaf of cabbage, tougher than the finely chopped further-in leaves and probably best not eaten.

I had them hold the bell peppers in the Shapta. The dish was pretty spicy, and a tomatoey hot sauce was also provided. I suppose the strips of beef were a bit overcooked and chewy, but I didn't really care, because the dish was so tasty! This was around the same size as a typical Chinese restaurant portion in a large oval plate, and plenty of rice was provided.

The restaurant is very informal, with most tables quite close together and the little restroom in the back, through the kitchen.

From their takeout/delivery menu:

Cafe Himalayan

Tibetan/Nepali Home Cooking

FREE DELIVERY

78 East 1st Street

(Between 1st Avenue & Avenue A)

New York, NY 10009

Tel.: (212) 358-0160

Hours Open

Tuesday-Saturday: 12:00 noon - 11:00 pm

Sunday: 12:00 noon - 10:00 pm

Monday: Closed