Himalayan Restaurant relocates to Longfellow

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

On Dec. 30, brothers Naveen and Pravin Shrestra opened the doors of their newly renovated Himalayan Restaurant at 2910 E. Lake St. Many residents of Longfellow are no doubt familiar with the savory tastes that executive chef Neelima Shestra and her kitchen staff are known for. The Himalayan Restaurant has been doing a brisk business on Franklin Ave. in the Seward neighborhood for the past six years, but the trek there just got shorter.

The trend of Longfellow’s E. Lake Renaissance continues with their arrival. The Himalayan Restaurant will be open Tue.-Sun. from 11am til 9:30pm (closed Monday). The ever-popular lunch buffet, still a real deal at $9.95, is served Tue.-Fri. from 11am-2pm, and Sat.-Sun. from 11am-3pm.

What makes their lunch buffet shine? It’s a great introduction to the variety of foods on the menu, so you can sample things you might not be adventurous enough to order otherwise. The buffet includes a selection of appetizers, 10-12 different hot items (some vegetarian and some not) a full salad bar and desserts.

The full menu offers many ways to try the authentic flavors of Nepal.

Start your meal with a sampling of chamena (appetizers) including samosas, onion crisps or the ever-popular Kathmandu momos. Follow up with daal (soup) to take the chill out of your bones.

There are savory lamb and chicken entrees roasted in the piping hot, clay tandoori oven, and a wide variety of shrimp, lamb, goat and vegetarian entrees as well. Beef is not found on the menu, as the cow is a sacred animal in Nepal and many surrounding countries.

In sympathy with our sometimes timid Midwest palettes, the spice levels range from mild to medium-mild, medium to medium-hot, and hot to extra-hot. All of the spice blends are ground and mixed in the kitchen, and the air is rich with the smells of cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and cardamom.

The aromatic bread, naan, is made on-site, hand-tossed and slapped up on the inside of the tandoori oven.

The meal can be pleasantly washed down with a Himalayan coffee, chai tea or mango lassi, a soothing blend of mango juice and yogurt.

When asked if he had a favorite dish, co-owner Naveen Shestra said, “I love everything here. These are the foods we grew up with, these are the tastes of home.”

The Shestra brothers were born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. These days Kathmandu is a thriving city of more than a million people, and one of the gateways to the Himalayan Mountains. Nepal is a sovereign state, tucked in between India to the south and China to the north. The particulars of its geography mean that Nepalese cooking is a confluence of spices and flavors, both from within its borders and without.

The Indian-influenced food prepared at the Himalayan Restaurant is not quite as rich as what you would find at an Indian restaurant. “Our goal,” according to Naveen, “is to serve the best straight-up Nepalese food, with breads and spices prepared right here. We aim for meals that leave you feeling satisfied, but not over-stuffed.”

The Himalayan Restaurant make-over started last August. The space had formerly been home to Kong’s Chinese Restaurant since 1969, and some updating was in order. The interior was gutted and the resulting two dining rooms are spacious and pleasant. The walls are covered with paintings of village life in Nepal. Other attributes of the new location include off-street parking just west of the restaurant, and a kitchen that’s nearly twice the size of the old one.

Co-owner Pravin and his wife Neelima are at the restaurant six days a week, from 8:30 in the morning until closing. Pravin oversees the front end, greeting customers and keeping things flowing smoothly, while Neelima manages the kitchen.

Neelima says, “We are cooking the way I learned from my mother and grandmother.” Her favorite dish? Without hesitation, she smiled and answered “the momos,” which are a Nepalese steamed dumpling sealed like a pinwheel - as pretty as they are delicious.

The restaurant is filled with many items from the Shrestra’s homeland. On the wall to the left as you enter is a traditional Nepalese prayer wheel. A child-sized version, at spinning height about 3’ off the ground, is on the opposite side of the entry door. In the back dining room on a high shelf are dolls made by Neelima’s grandmother celebrating the old ways in Nepal. A Nepalese singing bowl, which is played by striking the rim of the bowl with a padded mallet, rests on a window ledge.

The Himalayan asks you to consider writing and posting a Yelp review if you visit. They had well over a hundred at their old address but when a restaurant moves, its reviews don’t, and reviews are good for business.

The Himalayan Restaurant is yet another addition to this area of excellent ethnic eateries, and you won’t find a friendlier, harder-working restaurant staff anywhere. The residents of Longfellow now have the food of the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain range, available to us right here in our own, rather flat backyard.