I’d heard good stuff about Tamarind and it’s been opened for ages so today after hanging out about Pulchowk I thought I’d head over there with the fam. We arranged for siblings and parents and siblings’ boyfriends to head in from sides of town to meet us in Jhamel.
Tamarind is rumored to have cost two corores to renovate and refurnish and reveal its new face as somewhere hip enough to host the before party for Adams earlier this year.
Yes, the décor is nice – a small lawn, tented outdoor seating and two in-doors; one a bar and one (I assume a non-smoking) indoor sphere (with plenty of parking!) The service isn’t bad either, in fact I’ll say it’s pretty good – since some of us had gotten there an hour earlier some of the dishes we’d ordered had gotten cold. When I asked the server if he’d mind re-heating for us, not only did he willingly oblige, but they re-arranged the dish so it looked fresh – with garnishing included. So, that was lovely.
The food itself wasn’t bad either. We had Vegetable Tempura (done really well – the shell was crisp and he vegetables just right, maybe a tad bit too oily but hey, it’s deep fried veggies). We also had Spghetti and that was surprisingly good – it didn’t look appeasing, I mean the presentation was al right with the grated cheese and olive on top but it looked much too saucy and I was afraid the noodles were cooked beyond al dente. But, to my pleasant surprise the taste was stronger than it is in Italy but good for a Nepali palate – where we like our flavors to be strong and to burst in our mouths like pataka.
Let’s see, we also had Tom Yam soup – slightly too sweet, but a rich creamy taste. I’d still go to Ying Yang for Tom Yam soup, but if people insisted on Tamarind and I felt like heeding to my Thai soup craving, I’d order it here. It was also a generous helping – easily serving three or four bowls so it’ll make for a good starter as the temperature starts to cool. The Papaya salad was good too – crunchy peanuts, green papayas (where the good nutrients of a papaya still remains, once it’s that deep beautiful orange nutrients remain no more so this green papaya salad that’s been introduce to Kathmandu is a good thing). The sauce was slightly sweet but mostly tangy – a great summer dish that I may opt for again.
So, what was my problem? The price!
At the rate they were going, I figured I could eat at a 5-star hotel and dress the part too. It’s not too outrageous, probably all falls Rs. 100 – 200 over at most other restaurants that look to be of the same value, but Rs. 500 for a main course for a place like that seems to be asking for a little too much. Can’t say it’s not worth the money, but will say you can’t stop wondering if they aren’t trying to cover the two crores with your lunch money.
http://www.parakhi.com/business/Tamarind-Restro-and-Bar
Since Valley Foodie can’t cook and hates to clean up after creating havoc in the kitchen while frying eggs in place of a “real meal” the only option she has is to explore and to eat. You may think such an individual could not provide solid food reviews, but really, it’s the opposite (because she watches Master Chef). Anyway, who says the way to a man’s stomach alone is through food?