After my friend and I got a bunch of exercise in the morning, we headed to Ala Moana for more walking and maybe a bit of food. Himalayan Kitchen was near where we parked, so we picked this spot mainly on proximity.
It's a small corner spot on Street Level 1 near Macy's. There's maybe 5-6 tables inside and another 5-6 outside. All I can otherwise say is, if you're dining inside and it's summer, it's stuffy enough to burn a few extra calories.
Himalayan Kitchen serves Nepali and Indian food, which for me was a welcome break from the usual bentos and home-cooked meals I mostly had during the pandemic.
I love that you can pick your spice level here, from 1 to 10. The server said 6 was right around "Thai spicy".
Our server also tried upselling the Momos ($8.95), steamed dumplings with ground chicken and spices inside, and served with a tomato dipping sauce. We passed this time, just looking for the main course.
I got the Chicken Tikka Madrass ($16.95), listed as the chef's favorite. Boneless chicken cooked in the tandoori, then simmered with the chef's special coconut curry-based sauce. Just to test the heat and still savor the flavors, I went with a spice level 7/10 for starters. It's served with some basmati rice.
The level 7 had nice heat, and I'm sure the stuffy restaurant allowed me to sweat a little more at my seat. I could easily bump up the spice level next time - probably sitting outside.
It was a perfect amount of heat to match the full-bodied curry. Delicious coconut milk and traditional Himalayan spices in the hearty curry. Although some of the chicken pieces were slightly overcooked, others still retained some moisture.
(Note: This is usually why I generally order chicken dishes at Indian/Himalayan restaurants. I like chicken, but it's also less forgiving than lamb here in terms of getting overcooked.)
My friend enjoyed his Lamb Bhuna ($18.95), a curry dish that had a creamy garlic sauce, more traditional spices, and cooked down to a dark brown color. The lamb was extremely tender and juicy. My friend was happy with a level 5/10 spice and savored every bite.
Great service at this family-run business, and I look forward to my next visit. 8.5/10
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