Everyone raves about Kathmandu so I thought it was about time I checked it out. Especially since they opened the Windsor Heights location and it's just 15 blocks or so from my apartment complex...
Here's the problem I have reviewing anything in this ballpark. I know what tastes good to me, but I know next to nothing about Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, etc. cuisine. Outside of the basics research online can provide I'm lost in that little corner of the world... And I can't get my girlfriend or kids to eat it so not only am I kind of flying blind...I'm usually flying solo too.
I ordered take-out online last night and their ordering system was pretty easy, but it had a couple of small deficits.
- I chose to pay online. When I was checking out I included a tip, but the app didn't catch it when it totaled me out. I've been WAY better about making sure to always have some cash handy lately so that wasn't a big deal at all.
- The second thing is the app didn't give me an expected time of completion on my order. Being a first timer I was had no idea how long food normally takes here. A quick call to the restaurant took care of that. 25 minutes.
Service on the phone and at pick up was good. There was one gentleman working the phones and handling take-out...and he was being kept very busy.
I ordered chicken vindaloo (comes with naan and rice) and fried chicken momos. The total came to $27 before taxes and tip.
Not having been here before I went with a medium heat on everything. It was more mild than I expected, but sometimes "hot" can be at a whole different level so I played it safe.
The chicken vindaloo had nice flavor. Boneless dark meat (thighs) and a few big chunks of potato. The potatoes were cooked perfectly. Soft to the bite, but not mushy. The chicken was fantastic. Tender and not dry at all. I do regret not going "hot" with this dish...
The chicken momos... I've never ordered anything like these before, but I'm a sucker for dumplings. The filling was similar to what I've had in other samosas I've tried, but the wrapper was more like a classic gyoza. I really liked these. Someone needs to school me on what the red sauce is they serve with these...
The food was really good.
I'm struggling a little with bang for the buck. I ate all the chicken vindaloo, rice, naan, and most of the chicken momos. Pretty much crushed it. That's kind of an expensive casual dinner for one person. Could I have eaten less and stretched it into two meals? Probably. So I think that's on me...
I feel like the entree portion was a little smaller than other similar restaurants, but the food is worth the price. So do you go for less quantity but better quality? Or do you go for more food but maybe not quite as good...? I have a similar problem with sushi. Circumstances usually dictate where I end up going.
I'm glad I finally got to try the food from Kathmandu. It was a good experience overall. I'm sure I'll be a return customer, but I'm not going to lie... I've still got a little internal battle going on right now... Was it good enough to pull me away from my normal go-tos in this particular genre? I guess time will tell.
Definitely worth checking out. read more