Tasting Menu in Kathmandu
I’ve had my fair share of tasting menus in this life, from solemnly plated morsels in Paris to architectural salads in New York. But I confess I did not expect to encounter such refined culinary delights in Nepal.
Today, Gillian — birthday queen and the reason I’m here — organized a celebratory dinner at what may well be the best restaurant in Kathmandu, if not the entire country. The banquet began in Bhaktapur, a beautifully preserved medieval city about 13 km east of the capital, famous for its temples and elegant Newar architecture.
After sightseeing, we were whisked to a restaurant with the most auspicious of names: Tusa, meaning “new beginning.” A welcome drink awaited us — cucumber juice with mint and some mysterious “other goodies” (avocado? fairy dust?). Whatever it was, it was fresh and dangerously good. My appetite perked up like a hungry fox.
Then came the eight-course feast. First: warm buckwheat bread tucked prettily inside a hand-painted wooden box, accompanied by herb-infused butter that could make ordinary butter hang its head in shame. Next, a crisp lentil fritter — imagine falafel’s more elegant cousin — crowned with a snowfall of cheese.
Then something truly exotic: Rildhuk, a traditional dumpling-like dish made from millet flour, served with earthy mushrooms and a delicate foam of gundruk. Yum. A pan-seared river fish followed, flanked by pickles and finely chopped vegetables — light, bright, and perfectly balanced.
A lemon and apple sorbet then arrived to “cleanse our palate,” though it felt more like an invitation to keep eating. The main course — roasted chicken with cauliflower purée — was nothing short of sensational. And then came dessert, plural: a parade of sweet things, the star being a cake made from stinging nettle (yes, nettle!), served with buffalo yogurt and chestnut purée. Heavenly.
We were nine in total, all gloriously stuffed, slightly giddy, and entirely content. Kathmandu had just delivered a culinary surprise with the precision of a master chef and the flair of a magician.