February 13, 2013

Little Nepal, Burwood

I watched this amazing film Samsara about a week ago and was really struck by a particular scene that reminded me of Nepal (even though it was filmed in India). Being me, I translated this impression into food and had a hankering for Nepalese food for the past couple of days.

Burwood seems to me like a bit of an odd suburb to have a Nepalese restaurant, but bam! That's where Little Nepal is. We arrive early so the tiny restaurant is empty save for 2 tables. Once inside, I quite like it for its lime green back wall, huge Nepalese flag, red patterned table cloths and mirrors lining the left wall.

Nepali special chiya $3.70
This reminds me of chai tea except the spices are more muted. Good for a cold rainy day. But don't forget to add a little sugar!
Plain roti (2pcs) $3, Pappadums complimentary
When the complimentary pappadums come out, I have a flashback to the last time I enjoyed it (grade 3). I eagerly grabbed mine and start breaking crispy portions off. The plain roti is a little oilier than I'm used to... but I like the stretchiness so I can pull bits off to eat with my meat.
Badel tareko $11.50
Pan fried wild boar in Everest base camp way
Hands up if you read Asterix as a kid and thought the boar was drawn deliciously? *both hands shoot up* Even though I know that boar has a tendency to be quite tough, I order it anyway because I've been seeing it in those comics for a good 7 years and it looked so yummy! I add a squeeze of lemon to my piece of boar and start to cut. Surprisingly, I didn't need to put as much sawing motion as I thought. The boar is definitely spicy and reminds me of chicken...
Khasi ko bhutan $12.50
Goat's heart and liver cooked in a typical Nepalese way
Okay so it doesn't really look too appetizing because it's so dark. Maybe it doesn't even sound appetizing because it's heart and liver. Try to look past that and give it a taste. Personally I prefer the liver because it reminds me of fat and I like the texture. I can't explain the flavor of heart but it's definitely there if you grab a big piece; it may be an acquired taste. This dish wasn't spicy.
Chicken Biryani $14.50
Tender chicken pieces marinated overnight and cooked with basmati rice flavored with roasted spices
This reminds me of the biryani I had in India, even down to the serving bowl. Underneath this mound of "spicy" basmati rice are large tender pieces of chicken... Mmmm... Raisins are folded through and add welcome pangs of sweetness. Buttery, spicy rice... Tender chicken... Sweet raisins... I really love biryani
Raasa bhari $7
Cottage cheese balls dipped in sugar syrup
I bypass the all too familiar gulab jamun for this: cheese, sugar and yogurt. The cheese balls has a texture that can be described as spongy (so it soaks up a looooooot of the syrup). I'm going to go ahead and say: remember to have yogurt with every bite you take or it'll get extremely sweet. Oh and there's candied fruit on top too!
Kheer $7
Homemade rice pudding
Another dish that reminds me of food I had in India. It's less liquid than a lot of rice puddings I see and I prefer this because it's not as overly creamy and the rice hasn't been cooked until it's a mush. It's also not too sweet.

Nepalese cuisine is a very great cuisine to be eating during the colder months because the spices will warm up your tummy! And if it gets too hot, you can cool down with some sweet desserts. If you're sick of chinese food in burwood, head down to Little Nepal!

Little Nepal
135 Burwood Rd,
Burwood
NSW 2134
Little Nepal

6 comments:

  1. Yum! :) Great find, and wow, you've been to India?? And yeah, you're right about the heart and liver dish, my family have a Viet dish like that at home, and the liver is always much creamier and has a better texture than the slightly chewy heart, but I like both :) PS. Hope to catch up soon in uni! x

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    1. Yup, I've been to India, it's a beautiful country! Personally I prefer liver because it doesn't have as much of an 'offal' taste... We'll definitely catch up over some food and drinks!

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  2. This looks great - I've never had Nepalese cuisine before and I didn't know it was in Burwood either. Definitely some interesting looking dishes there that I've never seen before.

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    1. This was my first taste of Nepalese food! Burwood is definitely an unexpected place to find it.

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  3. im gonna go here one day kim! hope you've been well and hope you know that im a stalker of your blog! :p
    -xixi

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    1. You should try it! Hope you've been splendid too! Thanks ahaha!

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