Thursday 26 June 2014

Restaurant Nepal Himalayan Cuisine @ Plaza Damas, Sri Hartamas

My sister decided to celebrate a much delayed father’s day by trying something different. So while browsing through Groupon site, she came across a Nepal cuisine. Since neither of us tried this type of cuisine before, we thought it would be a great father’s day gift.



Now if you are a very adventurous and not easily disappointed with the outcome, I dare say just walk in and go ahead with your eating adventure. But if you are trying to involve people who are not so keen with trying new cuisine, be sure to do some research or take a safer deals like such offered in groupon, because usually these deal are already pre-set and you can view and do some research about the selected dish and see if your guest are ok with it. No need to head scratch when you get there……….

Ok let’s begin ……..

Ambiance: 4/10





Now the reason I gave such a low rating is because I don’t feel like I could relate anything to Nepal or Nepalese theme. I felt quite disappointed with the ambiance of the restaurant because it lacked creativity and if I were to accidentally walk into the restaurant I could not have guessed anything about this place or what they offered.
Maybe it’s just me but the moment I walked in I could smell pressure cooked meat,while it was not unpleasant but it was not something you want to smell when you walk in. I wish they had some spices aroma or smell of burning incense. It could help accelerate the Nepal feel or something.  

The waiter allows you to choose your level of spiciness, ranging from spicy, moderately spicy or mild. We asked for mild since none of us could handle spicy food (I know we are weird bunch of Indians)


 Signature snack platter (RM24)


Visual Observation: 8/10
It’s neatly presented and not sloppy. It gives you a eyes full of the variety of snack size dishes. It also looks appetizing. Very convenient if you like to try more than one dish in a small portion.

Taste evaluation: 8/10

Chilli chicken (the red one with green capsicum)
The chicken was quite tough and it was not very spicy. It’s more like a Chinese style sweet and sour dish. 

Bhuteko bhatmas (Roasted soybean)
This is my favorite, it is really crunchy and it is a good combination with the other dishes. Soybeans are marinated in Nepalese spice. This could be awesome munchies while having a drink.

Nepali salad
This salad was very asian salad. It had lime taste and it also had some sweetness to it.

Aloo silam  (Boiled potatoes)
Potatoes were boiled and cooked in some Nepalese spices. It’s not spicy more like cumin and non spicy masala.

Momo dumplings
We got the steamed dumplings,which is like Chinese dumplings. I guess since Nepal is surrounded by China and India, their influence is absorbed into their food as well. The dumpling was a bit thick skinned and it was stuffed with mixture of some veggies and meat. It was quite yummy.

Mushroom peas
Again these are not spicy but more like cumin and non spicy masala.


Farsi ko daal ra khasi ko nail  (RM18)


Visual Observation: 7/10
It’s neatly presented and not sloppy. Looks appetizing. You can smell the thick pumpkin gravy.

Taste evaluation: 9/10
The thick pumpkin gravy is absolutely delicious. It goes well with white rice and it taste good on its own without the meat. The gravy is not spicy rather it’s sweet and savory. It blends well with the tender mutton. I love how the meat just falls off the bone.  It comes with big chunks of meat that suits 4 person.



My sister enjoyed this dish. She also loves bone marrow and she actually used a straw and sucked out the marrow. 

Useful tip, please do not attempt to bang or knock the marrow out of the bone. It makes a lot of noise and you can break or chip the plate.

Chatamari (RM 12)

Visual Observation: 5/10
It’s neat and looks yummy. Nothing to brag about.

Taste evaluation: 7/10
This is actually thin-crust battered rice crepes topped with minced chicken, spring onions, tomatoes, and egg. Basically it’s a omelet pizza LOL. It is not bad, I liked the thickness of the caked egg and crispy crepes. Perfect for a pleasant tea time snack.

Beverages
We had to order the drinks separately as it does not come with the Groupon deal. Honestly I felt like the drinks were rather expensive.

Mango Lassi (RM12) and Sweet Lassi (RM10)


Visual and taste evaluation: 10/10
OMG I love a good lassi anytime. They nailed it. The mango lassi was amazing. It was thick and the real blended sweet mango was exquisite. I love how it looked, so delicious and so OMG.
My dad had the sweet lassi, like its name it was sweet. He said it was a touch bit too sweet for his liking. But I guess that is how it was meant to be.  But it is delicious never the less.

Masala Tea

Visual and taste evaluation: 6/10

My mom had some hot masala tea, she said it did not have the strong Indian masala taste but rather it was quite pleasant and different kind of masala tea. I guess traditional Nepal spices are not very strong but rather unique on its own. 

Overall conclusion: Something different, will try again if they have new dishes.
While the food was delicious, I as an Indian (no matter how weird I am), For me i felt like the Nepal spices does not have a strong KAW or satisfying aftermeal feeling. It felt very unruffled and it does not quite hit my taste buds. It maybe different for other people. This is just my opinion after all. I do feel like the price for the food is rather steep. I can’t blame them considering the location of this place and its exotic flavors. The best way to try these dishes is to get a good deal in groupon.


Additional: 10% service charge RM3.90 + Service RM3.90 (ouch)



Sunday 15 June 2014

Interracial Relationship

Ahhhh………..Only this type of relationship fascinates me alot. I love all type of interracial relationship but I do have a favorite type, mine is White men with Black women (wmbw). For some reason this type of couple really looks so amazing in my eyes. As weird as it sounds, I really don’t know just how to express that feeling, but usually I prefer watching “love or romance” if it involve this type of couple. Something about them really ……….makes everything so darn interesting and did I mention that they make the cutest babies.

Alas, I’m not saying that I do not prefer other type or that I only consider wmbw as the only type of “approved” relationship. When I say interracial relationship, I mean any two different races falling for each other.
So what is so interesting about them?
It always intrigues me that two people of different race and culture are able to fall in love and unite. This is something not only easy but it also shows you that you are able to embrace another race and its culture. That finding love from a person that looks nothing like your race, nothing like your culture and able to accept that and want to be a part of it together.
Most of the time, these type of relationship are not easy. I’m not saying a non interracial relationship is a piece of cake, rather their challenges or problem they face is more compare a non interracial relationship.  Maybe their complications they face are what fascinates me more (does that even make sense?) Sorry if I offend non interracial relationship, you guys face problems and obstacle to but in my opinion you do not face some of the problems faced by interracial couple, you don’t have that “extra” obstacle to crossover.
You get me? (Gosh I feel like I’m not expressing myself accurately)
What do I mean by that? Well any interracial relationship is going to have to go through a disapproval or negative phase in their life. Although we live in a modern world with its fancy technologies, when it comes to race and religion, not everyone is going to be 100% approving of your decisions.
Your friends and parents maybe cool with your significant other, but there are always going to be some group of people who are always going to disapprove and censure your interracial relationship. Because as much as our technology changes every minute of the day, sadly enough our minds are still rooted towards racism.  We have yet to move away from it.
But despite all the disapproving looks and side comments, in the end you must remember “you can never please everyone”. If your partner loves you and you love them back, why not go ahead and build a life together. If that’s what makes you happy, take that white horse and ride away into the happy land with your loved one.

I’ve seen so many of my friends that are in an interracial relationship/marriage. It just woos me so much, I just can’t explain in words. If a boy of a different race is attracted to me ……..I would ask him so many questions? Not in doubt of his interest for me, but what about me that made him consider me as his love/crush interest.
Every time I spot an interracial couple, I always wonder about their story. Like what attracted you to him/her, did you ever doubt your interracial relationship, are you happy? Did you ever think you will end up in an interracial relationship? Do you think of your future cute buttons? So many questions.
If you ever watch Scandal (if not shoot yourself), the reason that drove to watch this show is because of the interracial relationship. Second is of course the actress and third the plot itself. I doubt I will watch the show with intense anticipation if there was not an interracial relationship going on. Because let’s face it, who in the right mind wants to watch about bunch of sleezy politicians making bad decisions.  

Same goes for any shows with interracial couples, it just heightens my interest to the show, unless I find the whole relationship not working towards a positive vibe.  So even when I read a book and if it involve a interracial couple, I’m all for it!
I support interracial relationship!!!! And if you are in one, go ahead and give yourself a hug.
One day I would love to have an interracial relationship, but until then I’m just gonna sit back and ‘like’ all the beautiful interracial couples in Tumblr.