Rumi’s Bistro: A quirky place with a modern touch

Week after week, going around for food hunts in different restaurants. The beauty of it all is, no matter how many times we go for it, there is always a new story to tell.

So, in the course of finding yet another story, I landed on the Instagram page of Rumi’s Bistro. Almost like a calling, I knew I had to visit the place at least once.

Located at Mandikatar, near Big Mart, away from the hustling, bustling Ring Road, Rumi’s Bistro is very cosy and spacious. A perfect place for a short getaway to have tete-a-tete either with friends or family.

One of the owners of the place, Urbashi Pradhan, says, “My aunt, Rashmi Pradhan, and I planned on opening a cafe. Never did we imagine opening a bistro. Now, not only do we have Rumi’s, but 6 members in the business altogether.”

Rashmi adds, “We have always been enthusiastic about coffee and wanted to do something around that. So, when we found a space right around where we live, we could not just ignore the fact.”

One of the active members of the bistro, Suraj Pradhan, explains, “We started on December 14, 2019 and never looked back. Things are doing great after the pandemic and we are planning to bring trivia nights, live music, and poetry nights from April. Since we have a big space, we also are running painting classes for kids on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also plans of running a small farmers’ market to sell the goods of the local farmers.”

With that, we ordered something to drink because I was parched. We ended up ordering their ABC (apple, beetroot, and carrot) juice because why not! The flavour was balanced and neither of the three ingredients was overpowering the others.

 Now that we had our drinks, I wanted to check their menu and something on it really caught my eye. They had something called Vegan-Choila, so I had to try. Along with that, we ordered Pork Chilli and Belgian Fries for starters.

“We import vegan meat from Butwal. It is made out of vegetable protein and quinoa,” says Niraj Pradhan.

I, for one, had never tried vegan meat let alone Vegan Choila and my mind was blown away by how alike it tasted to real meat. While buff choila is chewy, this was soft and flavourful; a perfect blend of different spices.

After recovering from the pleasant surprise, I dug into their Pork Chilli and, for people who know me, they know how much I love pork. The pork belly is first boiled, then marinated, before it is tossed in the pan along with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, soy sauce, Manchurian sauce, and cumin sauce. The chef then adds salt, pepper, chilli flakes, and Szechuan powder. The pork chilli was just perfect. They had used the perfect amount of chilli and tomatoes, making it heavenly in every bite.

Then came the time to try their Belgian fries, which were extra crunchy.

Chef Parbat Rai explains, “We make Belgian Fries with a special beer batter, which helps the fries to stay crunchy for a long time. The batter is a mixture of wheat flour and cornflour, beer, baking powder, salt, and pepper.”

The starters were so good that I could not help but order two of their main dishes, Zurich Pasta and Stir Fried-Noodles.

Made out of handmade pasta, shredded chicken marinated in salt and pepper and then cooked with white wine along with mushrooms and then boiled in cooking cream, Zurich Pasta is a beautiful and elegant dish. It comes with some chopped broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, and beans. The creamy sauce, chicken, and soft handmade pasta are a perfect blend of flavours making you want to dig in again and again. I honestly could not stop eating the dish, it was so creamy but not too heavy at all.

Last but not the least dish we had ordered, Stir Fried-Noodles. I thought I made a mistake ordering noodles but, boy, did the dish prove me wrong! Stir-fried in a pan, the noodles, and the vegetables are then tossed in teriyaki sauce and then topped with chicken. It is then topped with freshly chopped green onions and chili flakes.

 The dish was so homely, light, and a pleasant surprise.

While we were so full, we then were surprised with a close-up magic trick show. Magician Pratam Oli did a few card tricks that just blew our minds, leaving us wondering what just happened.

Named after the poet Rumi, this bistro tries to not only focus on the food and drinks but also wants to serve people an ambience they can not forget, a place where people forget about their work and tension. With its outdoor and indoor seating and elegant modern touch, Rumi’s Bistro is a quirky place one must not miss.

Contact Details: 

Location: Mandikatra, Kathmandu

Phone no.: 984-9537947

Facebook: Rumi's Bistro

Instagram: Rumi’s Bistro