The Mona Lisa, arguably considered one of the greatest pieces of art on display at the Louvre is an enchanting, awe striking piece of art. Considered to have one of the most mystifying portrait smiles to ever be put up on display; depending on how you were to perceive it the expression the painting strikes is either a wry smile or a subtle frown, caught between diminutive emotions. However bearing the very prestigious name of this perplexing painting is the popular Mona Lisa Thakali Restaurant, which unlike the very famous painting it is named after does not muddle the mind of its viewer, instead the delectable array of gobsmacking delicacies available to choose from evoke a wide grin across anyone who were to find themselves dining at this fine establishment.
The Mona Lisa Thakali name is a family legacy, we have a restaurant in Pokhara which is very popular, and I’ve decided to carry on this legacy and bring it to Kathmandu,” informs Bijaya Sherchan, the owner of Mona Lisa Thakali.
“Thakali has always been a staple cuisine for all Nepali’s and its gaining immense popularity amongst the Nepalese in recent times, hence I took this as a springboard to launch the Kathmandu branch of our restaurant looking to add a continental twist to a rather Nepali cuisines Menu. We’ve mixed in ingredients and dishes most commonly associated with Japanese, Italian and Chinese cuisine,”' he adds.
Situated just across the Naxal Bhatbhateni, the restaurant has a rather cozy, homely feel to it. Its interiors are adorned with relics, instruments and moments of Nepali culture and history, its ceiling coming alive embellished with the Nepali Dhaka cloth.
Striking a rather unconventional balance between an avant-garde restaurant and a more traditional Nepali thakali place, the food on offer at the establishment much like its aesthetics serve up a fusion of wonderful modern cuisine concepts with tried and tested methods.
Our culinary journey commenced with the Hummus with PeriPeri seasonings served up with buckwheat chips. The buckwheat imported from Mustang, provides the perfect base for the amazingly rich and depthful taste of the Hummus. Paired together the dish delivers just the right amount of crunch, savouriness and overall balance to create the perfect Entree.
Our Hummus filled adventure was quickly followed up by the Japanese Style Chicken Popcorn. One of the continental dishes available to customers to select from, the Japanese Chicken Popcorn is a must-not-miss out on dish. As its name suggests, the dish is chicken popcorn given a Japanese twist, cooking the chicken popcorn in a creamy sauce and then deep frying it, the result is a crunchy chicken popcorn morsel that simply explodes with flavor and melts in your mouth leaving you clamoring for more! Served up with chives as the seasoning the dish is truly unique in their flavor profile.
The final entree before our main course was the Timoor Fried Chicken, Served up in a big leaf, the chicken for want of a better word was simply stupendous. While one would expect the Timoor chicken to be a spice delight. The chicken carefully tethers this line to create a truly wonderful gastronomic journey for anyone who tries it. The soft, succulent fried chicken glowing red with the spices finds a harmony like no other with a rather tart taste of lemons cutting off on the spice factor of the dish. Thus using the tartness of their ingredients and counteracting the heavy spices what follows is simply astounding.
The star of the day, the marquee food item through which this rather modern establishment gains its popularity and the ‘Thakali’ moniker: The Thakali Set is the Pokhara Lakeside thakali experience brought to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu! “We take great care in preparing this item as it is our star dish, the 13 items that we put up have to be of the highest standards. If we require optimum wheat and produce and spices to replicate the flavor we get these very ingredients from Mustang itself. Even with the rice, great care goes to selecting what kind of rice we use in the restaurant as it is the item that has the most prominence in the dish.” Sherchan concludes.
And the attention to details put towards the creation of this Thakali Set is evident. Comprising Radish, Tomato and Gundhruk pickles, curd, Seasoned Potatoes, Pan braised Spinaches, chickens and fish curries, Ghee and the all important long-grain rice, this dish is as authentic Nepali as it gets. The standouts being the depth in flavor of the spinach and the flavorful Mustang Aloos!
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