As I type this, I rest my laptop on my bulging belly, having just supped (supped is polite, gorged is more accurate) at the Himalayan Char Grill in Crows Nest. We had the banquet to celebrate my mum’s birthday… And it was one of those banquets where after an endless stream of delicious dishes, after you’ve already undone the top button on your jeans, where you’re ready for them to cart you off on a stretcher for some hibernation, the food keeps coming! More? Are you serious?
Having only had Himalayan food once before, I knew I liked it, but I didn’t know I loved it. Located in a rather odd, dingy arcade, don’t be put off by the decor at Himalayan Char Grill… It’s very basic, but what this restaurant lacks in aesthetic pleasure, it more than fills the void with its fresh, punchy food and the lovely staff. Tonight, the restaurant is packed, and from what I can tell, it seems to be full of regulars, which is always a good sign.
As the evening progresses, we wade our way through chicken, beef, lamb all swimming in an array of fragrant curries. The meat is all so devastatingly tender with so much flavour crammed in; coriander, cumin, chili abound. I continue eating until I have doubled my bodyweight. Just when I think I’m doing a service by begrudgingly stuffing myself with the last, tasty morsel of dish number 7, another dish is brought out, and I am filled with regret and am bemused and puzzled as to how on earth I am going to eat my way through this dish… You see, I was at a table of fussy eaters, who don’t like spices… Wrong restaurant to be at, kids!
The picture above is of the beef cheeks, a dish having received critical acclaim from the Sydney Morning Herald. I don’t particularly like beef cheeks. They taste like old people’s meat… But I can understand why people go gaga. “It’s like marshmallow!”, exclaims my uncle, and indeed it is that soft. The hunks of flesh just melt on your tongue, but after one mouthful of these cheeks, I’m back to more important issues, like the huge pile of lamb backstrap that seems to be going unnoticed…. Drool.
The waitstaff are all genuinely nice and create the feeling that you’re really being looked after. It’s so refreshing when you dine at a place like this, far removed from the CBD so and sos that think they are just so wonderful for working in a restaurant.
After a helping of strawberry kulfi, which goes down a treat, we stumble out the door, ready for our angioplasties.
