Finally got here!!! Hurrary!!! I have been wanting to go to the Himalayan Restaurant after reading about it online for ages and it did not disappoint!!! What wonderful food. The atmosphere and the service were great. We found it warm and inviting. They have the loveliest paintings of Nepal on the walls and the chairs were super comfy. Service was exceptional! Warm, attentive and most of the menu is gluten-free or can be made gluten-free and the staff were very knowledgeable and put me right at ease.

They specialize in Nepali cuisine. If you like Indian food you will be happy here as I think the tastes are somewhat similar. We ordered mild and tried one hot sauce just to see how hot was hot. Trust me it is hot! Then again we like things on the mild side. My advice would be to get the hot sauce on the side and test it first to see what you think as you don’t want to overpower the other lovely flavours. It is a busy place so a reservation is definitely recommended.

I’m going to start with dessert because the Cassava Cake was outstanding!!! We often order one or two desserts to share, but I could have eaten the whole thing myself. It was awesome!!! It tasted like a regular cake which made me worried, but our server was great and informed me that cassava flour also known as yuca flour is gluten-free. I had never had anything made with cassava flour before. I know, I have lived a sheltered life. It was so good I had to do some research and find out where I could buy it. So far, I have found that Otto’s Cassava Flour is great. It is gluten-free certified by the GIG (The Gluten Intolerance Group), to have no cross contaminants. It is also certified paleo by The Paleo Foundation and AIP (autoimmune protocol friendly) too. Check out their website at http://www.ottosnaturals.com and go to their FAQ to learn more. You can use their store locator to find a place near you – in Calgary you can get their flour at Community Natural Foods". You can also order it online in Canada from https://www.flourconfections.com. Did you know that tapioca flour is an extracted starch from the cassava root and that cassava flour is the whole peeled root? But they are not interchangeable in baking. Another interesting site to learn more about cassava is https://downshiftology.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-cassava-flour/. The article by Lisa Bryan is a great quick read.

We enjoyed the Mango Ice Cream. It had a light, creamy texture and wasn’t overly sweet. I think I would have enjoyed it more on a hot day rather than in the winter time. Did you know there are thousands of varieties of mango??? I did not. To learn more about them I found these three sites were quite informative. http://www.mango.org/en/About-Mangos/Mango-Varieties and http://www.differencebetween.info/different-types-of-mangoesand http://mangoes.net.au/about-australian-mangoes/australian-mango-varieties/

Now, I’m not sure how healthy the mango remains when used to make a delicious dessert, but mangos are a good source of vitamin c and quite a few other vitamins and minerals. I found this site was great for learning about their benefits and it even had some great recipes too! http://foodfacts.mercola.com/mango.html

We had two appetizers both were gluten-free.

The first was the Vegetarian Chatamari which was a rice crepe filled with mozzarella cheese and veggies served with a mango dip, was so delicate and tasty. I could have eaten more of these absolutely delicious crepes and the dip was outstanding. I looked up Chatamari on the internet and looks like they are often served like a pizza. According to the “We All Nepali” site Chatamari is a speciality of the Newari area of Nepal. I’m going to try to make my own. They have loads of information about Nepal and great recipes. http://www.weallnepali.com/recipe/newari-food/how-to-make-chatamari

The second was the Spicy chicken Sadeko which was a grilled chicken breast shredded and served cold with spices and herbs. It was tasty, but not my favorite. I think because it was cold and I wanted warm food. Fun fact: According to what I have read on the internet (yep my go to source) ‘sadeko’ means marinated in the Nepali language. Good to know for future trips to other Nepali restaurants as I will know what to expect. If you would like to try making it yourself check out the recipe I found on Dixya’s website. She is originally from Nepal. https://www.foodpleasureandhealth.com/blog/2013/07/chicken-sadeko-shredded-chicken-salad.html

For my main, I ordered the Kathmandu Vegetables which was a vegetarian curry consisting of chickpeas, cauliflower and potatoes in a tomato and onion sauce. All the mains are served with saffron rice, bread (not gluten-free) so I did not have any on my plate, and a traditional Nepali salad which was like a cold potato salad. The flavors were delicious and fragrant and I really enjoyed the contrast of the spicy curry and cold potato salad. I love potato salad so again looked up a Nepali recipe. I’ve found that it is called Alu Ko achar.The best one I’ve found so far is from Anup Kitchen website. Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.anupkitchen.com/recipe/alu-ko-achar-spiced-potato-salad-nepali-food-recipe/

The rest of my family who are not celiac’s ordered the dishes shown below.

The Butter Veggies dish which was gluten-free so I was able to try it. Very good. Made of cauliflower, potato and cottage cheese cooked in a creamy cashew and ginger based sauce. I love butter chicken and this was just as good. Luscious creamy flavor. Cashew nuts are a healthy nut. If you’d like to learn more about the health benefits of cashews check out these two sites. Read their ‘about sections’ they offer unbiased information. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-cashews.html and http://foodfacts.mercola.com/cashews.html

Chau chau. This was the only one I couldn’t eat as it is made with egg-four noodles which are stir fried with cabbage, carrots and ginger garlic spices and gluten soy sauce. But I was told it was delightful and similar to Japanese Yaki Soba or Chinese Chow Mein.

As I stated earlier all the mains are served with saffron rice, bread (not gluten-free) and a traditional Nepali salad. You can choose mild, medium or hot. I found mild to be hot for me.

Do you know what saffron is? It is a pricey spice made from the dried stigmas, the little middle bits of the saffron crocus flower. I found this interesting blog called the Taste of Nepal blog, check it out to learn more about saffron and Nepal. http://tasteofnepal.blogspot.ca/2011/12/saffron-kesar-or-keshar.html

I will go again as I want to try every item I can on the menu. Heads up it is closed on Mondays. Let me know if you have been or plan to go. I’d love to know what you think and which dishes you tried.

Just before I sign off on this review. Is it Nepali? Or Nepalese? I have found this confusing when researching and writing this blog. Google to the rescue! Here is the Foreign Minister from Nepal letting everyone know it should be “Nepali”.

https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/nepali/en/article/2016/11/25/youve-been-getting-our-name-wrong-says-nepals-foreign-minister

• 3218 17th Avenue SW
• Calgary, Alberta
• 403-984-3384
• http://himalayancuisine.ca/

Note: I don’t receive anything from any of the companies and/or websites mentioned, I’m providing the links for information purposes only.