Authentic Nepali Cuisine @ Nepali Chulo

The first appetizer that came to our table was this dumpling called Momo (in Nepali)...and i was surprised to see a resemblance of somewhat chinese (cantonese) "wor tip". Indeed, this delicacy is so common back home.

btw, this Momo tasted similar to "wor tip"!

next is bean soup...this reminds me of lentil soup...the picture here doesn't look appetizing coz it was captured under flash light in dark surrounding.

various types of beans found in this soup...

we were served with goat's milk for drinks

not quite sure if it was goat's milk or something else..but the odour was too strong that i couldn't stand it. End up i did not take even a sip.

as for the main meal, the waiter will hand you an empty food tray and fill up the food onto your tray...
u gotta stop them if u hav enuff or does not wish to have that particular dish.
I had rice, wild boar meat, chicken, spinach...their menu was pretty standard as every dish is pre-cooked. Patrons can choose either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. That's it.

the food was so-so, nothing much to shout about, and the entertainment was okay.

Unless if you are an food adventura, this place is worth a try.

Bon Appetit!



Nepali Chulo Restaurant, Kathmandu - Part 1

On my final day in Nepal, i opted to have something local (Nepali cuisine) and perhaps enjoy the evening with some local cultural shows.

The hotel receptionist recommend us to this place...

me and my boss decided to drop by as this restaurant looks promising based on the description in the leaflet!

 after some 15 minutes walk (on the dark alleys with countless potholes) from the hotel, we finally reached a darkly surrounded building...it's a bungalow building with colonial architecture...but the interior was superb and full of culture & arts!

 the mystic ambience could be felt once u entered this dimly-lit restaurant.

Be mesmerized with the wall paintings and ornaments!

 and the table settings, plus the copper cups and plates.We chose the traditional dining, with lower tables and floor seatings.

 right in front of the dining place, there's a stage with performances

 a group of singers rendering some folks tunes (i guess!)...

be surprised to see lotsa patrons here from China...these youngsters might be here for some cultural/educational tour, how lucky!

The dance show began soon after we made ourselves comfortable - right on time!

the dances were either in couples or single lady performer clad in their traditional costumes...

despite not understanding a single word of what they sang, i enjoyed to the tune & amused by the dance movement.

The whole dining experience was an eye-opener...

Along the street in Lazimpat, Kathmandu

This porcelain teapot looks familiar...the color resemblance (turquoise & maroon) are seen at most souvenir shops across the hotel. It looks somewhat "ancient" & "exotic", and i wanna grab it back home!

  there are aplenty of souvenir shops right across the street, selling kashmir scarfs, clothing, carpet, prayer items, maps...this whole place is very commercialized and caters much to tourist.

 the locals wouldn't patronise this area

 mainly b'coz the goods can be found cheaper out of this place?

 i stroll around this area on one fine evening, the weather was nice, but not much people seen on the street.

been here for the second time...you'll learn most of the "arts & culture" in this narrow street!

Back to Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu - Part 3

The new wing of Radisson Hotel is a complete contrast to the ol' wing.

The interior of the old wing portrays more of a classic hotel, meanwhile the new wing are modern, vibrant kinda design...

instead of using real flowers...it  was replaced with gold and silver metallic bouquet!

which paired well with some ancient-like porcelain...

and some goddess statues

these statues are normally placed on prayer altar but they used it for decoration around the lobby...how creative!

perhaps it is also for sort of "protection" as it "guards" the entrance of the hotel!

the vibrant colours of the furniture and pillars in the waiting lobby...it reminds me of Four Point (of Sheraton) in Bangkok!

stricking orange, red and yellow is the theme!

and on the other side (a cafeteria), the color was toned down...but still "modern-looking"

meanwhile, the room ambience was different as nite reaches

with yellow dim lights, the interior of the room looks more classy...u just wish ur home has such nice & classy bedroom!

what more can u say? this is the washroom of a 5-star hotel room anyhow!

and my comfy bed (huge enuff to accomodate 3 person of my size!)...it has four sleeping pillows + 2 additional hugging pillows...

imagine lying urself on this bed lazily while hugging the pillows and watching movies on the 42" tv! the oni thing lacking is the popcorn! wuahahaha!

mirrors & glasses are 2 elements of modern interior...they are applied in this room as well...it has side mirrors next to the bed, apart from having the toilet cum washroom fully parted with see-thru glass wall.

u only wish ur bedroom is as nice as this!

Some Rich Man House in Kathmandu

 During my previous biz trip there, we were stationed at the local partner's office which eventually located at some residence...

The resident place are turned into office, but the front block still maintain as a residence...(erm...do u get what i mean??)

the front block is somewhat like a 70's house...it is modest, and very homey

surrounded by lush greenery...and decorated with a man-made pond at the garden/courtyard

and not-to-mention...a huge bird cage for the parrots

and this is the building at the back...which is the so-called "office"

this family has a full-time gardener who help maintain the garden at the back of residence

their neighbour are kinda  rich as they built a 4 storey-high house

and in contast to that, he only have a double storey house

but surrounded by a huge garden

well...the quiet & peacefull residence area is indeed a total contrast ambience compared to the hustle & bustle of their streets!

Late Night Dinner at Annapurna Hotel, Kathmandu

It was almost 10pm (Nepal local time) when we reached the restaurant for our late dinner...

it seems like the people in Bangladesh & Nepal used to have late dinner...coz the place was still crowded at such hour!

i was sleepy (and so was my boss)

the yellow dim lights and candlelights doesn't help at all!

soon after some long wait (~30 minutes, perhaps!) we were served with food, but before that was some starter which consists of papadam (crispy flat chip) with some condiments such as mint sauce, some spicy-but-weird-taste-sauce-kinda thingy, and onions (yes, in whole chunk!)...

after awhile, i was bored with papadam and started snapping on the cutleries to keep me awake!

yea, they have fine cutleries....thick metal spoon, fork and knife...and very thick & heavy bronze cup

finally the main course arrived, which were all so yummie...but unfortunately i can't take much as it has passed my biological clock for dinner (imagine having dinner at 1am!)

Anyhow, we had mutton briyani rice, some beans cooked with spices, naan bread, and dhal

the food were quite common...and i dun have issue adjusting with such flavors, despite some slight differences with M'sian Indian food

with a stomach full and a sleepy head...i can oni snap pictures to keep awake

and there it goes, some remembrance that i had my dinner at Annapurna Hotel!

Back to Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu - Part 2

The typical weather in Kathmandu is fair, not-too-hot nor too-cold...

it was just nice during my trip there on last month

clear skies and windy....

minus the chaotic street traffic...it is actually a cool place to be...much cooler than M'sia...and the air is fresher as this place is located at high altitud

back to the hotel...i enjoyed my stay at this new wing, mainly bcoz the facilities are modern and of course...NEW ;-)

it is somewhat a contrast to the old wing...which looks abit dull and outdate in design, but well, that isn't my concern as long as the basic necessities are provided

here's the view from my room...

I'd say that Radisson hotel is one of those tall buildings in Lazimpat...and all other buildings are mostly like 5-6 stories high only.

the slums of Kathmandu, as viewed from my hotel room. Well, it might NOT classified as 'slums' yet...but the buildings really look rundown in the entire city.

again, this is a high-density city...the streets are narrow, the buildings are close to each other and their property prices are high (as told by a local)...

I guess i'll need some survival skills if i m to live in such place ;-)