Editor’s note: We originally reported that the new Nepalese Indian restaurant would be called “Mt. Everest.” It has since been changed to “Nepalese Indian Restaurant.” We have updated this post to reflect the new name. For a more detailed explanation of the name change, see the comments below.
A few days ago, we told you about a new Tibetan restaurant opening on Venditti Square. Now the Himalayan explosion continues with news of a new full-blown Nepalese sit-down restaurant. Construction is underway at Nepalese Indian Restaurant, which is located in the space formerly occupied by Golden Star, the always-empty but somewhat beloved Chinese restaurant that was shuttered last August due to severe health violations.
Goodbye Golden Star, Hello Mt. Everest Nepalese Indian
Rajesh Sapkota, the new restaurant’s manager (and the owner’s nephew), told Ridgefood that Nepalese will serve traditional bread baked in a clay oven, chicken tandoori, spicy tikka masala, and other regional specialties. And though few knew it, Golden Star had a full liquor license. At press time, Mr. Sapkota reports that Nepalese intends to maintain the license — so they’ll have booze. Woo!
Nepalese cuisine is similar to Indian food, which is not surprising since the two countries share a border. Cooking methods and ingredients vary between the two regions, but you’ll find a lot of familiar Indian dishes like curries and dal at the new restaurant. And from the north, Tibetan flavors also color the Nepalese palate, sharing Himalayan butter tea and momos.
With a Nepalese restaurant, two Indian & Nepalese delis (Mt. Everest Grocery & Deli, the better option, and Gajurel Brothers Inc.), and the Ridgewood Nepalese Society, it looks like Ridgewood’s “Little Nepal” is on the rise. Mt. Everest plans to open December 10th. It’s open!
Mt. Everest Deli in Ridgewood carries Indian & Nepalese goods.
Nepalese Indian Restaurant
907 Seneca Avenue [map]
(718) 417-1873
www.nepaleseindianrestaurant.com
Mt. Everest Grocery & Deli
56-09 Myrtle Avenue [map]
(718) 497-0477
Gajurel Brothers Inc.
55-15 Myrtle Avenue [map]
(718) 366-1318
Went to this restaurant last night with friends. It’s located at 907 Seneca. The take-out menu (which I grabbed on the way out after a really delicious meal) just has the name as “Nepalese Indian Restaurant” on it. I’m not sure if that was the name on the storefront of the restaurant but I might have been. I don’t recall it saying Mt. Everest.
Anyway, I’m just putting that in because I want to make sure people find this place and go. It’s right next door to Rudy’s Pastry Shop and it’s wonderful!
Last night when we went, the only Nepalese items on the menu that were available were the momos. We tried the steamed chicken momos and the fried vegetable momos. Everybody liked both a lot but the fried vegetable ones were the clear hit.
We rounded out the rest of our meal with Indian breads (aloo naan – stuffed with minced potatoes and cumin; onion kulcha – stuffed with onion and spices; and buttery paratha) and several entrees (butter chicken, chana shag – chick peas and spinach, bhindi masala – fried okra with onion, tomatoes, peppers, cumin seeds and other spices, and bay goon bhortha – roasted pureed eggplant with onions, peppers and spices).
We scarfed it all down with glee. The overall impression was that while we liked everything, the vegetable dishes were the stars. The eggplant and okra entrees and the vegetable momos were in everyone’s top picks for their favorites.
To be completely honest, I do believe that the heat was turned down a bit for us non-Nepalese/non-Indians, but the food was still very flavorful and lick-the-plate good (no, I didn’t actually lick the plate).
As an added plus, the space is nice and homey and the service is excellent.
I’m almost in disbelief that there’s finally something like this in Ridgewood. Hurrah!
Wow, thanks for writing such a great review!
To clarify about the name: it was originally going to be called “Mt. Everest Indian Restaurant” — here’s a pic of the original sign. According to the owners, they changed it to the more utilitarian “Nepalese Indian Restaurant” after another “Mt. Everest” business in the neighborhood objected. We tweeted about the new name, too. We’ve updated this post to include the new name!
Thank you for the review & blog post. You can now check out our website http://www.Nepaleseindianrestaurant.com or Like our Facebook page http://www.Facebook.com/nepaleseindianrestaurant
Btw the manager is Saroj not Rajesh. Appreciate the blog post and hope to see you again.
Thank You
Welcome to the neighborhood! We definitely spoke with Rajesh, but thank you for updating us w/ the new manager’s name!