HimaliTreat Your Taste Buds to a Real Adventure by Lisa Sherck When you go to Himali Heritage Cuisine & Event center, I recommend putting yourself in your server’s hands for a tour of what Nepali food can bring. The first thing I noticed when walking in the door was the enthusiasm from one of the owners, Ram Pokhrel, and the server. Based on their hospitality, I made a splitsecond decision to order whatever they recommended, and I am so grateful I did. For an appetizer, I tried the Onion Heritage The one item she didn’t recommend, but I was intrigued enough to try, was the rosemary naan ($2.99), as it combines two of my favorite things – naan and rosemary. The naan had just a subtle hint of Bhaji Pakora, ($3.99) which came with a brown sauce and a green sauce, and was listed on the menu as “Vegan, gluten-free, thinly sliced onion in with spiced potatoes and peas.” This appetizer somewhat resembled a fried onion from the fair, but the taste was light years better. It was delicious and both sauces were bursting with flavor. I wouldn’t be able to pick which sauce was best, and would have taken more of both, if given the opportunity. Up next, the server recommended the Vegetable Momo ($9.99) which are steamed vegan dumplings, filled with soybean, cabbage, mashed potatoes, spices, onion, cilantro, ginger, and garlic. If you have never tried Momos, I would highly recommend them. Again, the momos were delicious, but what pushed them to the next level was the sauce. The next recommendation was the Chicken Tikka Masala ($13.99). I was a little hesitant to try this, as it is staple in most Indian restaurants, and I was in the mood to be adventurous, but the server was pretty insistent that I should get it, so I took her on her word. We then had a lengthy conversation about the spice level (from 1 to 5) and agreed it should be a level 2, but she brought chopped up chilis to add if I needed it. Suffice to say, I did not add the chilis, because I didn’t want to hide the other flavors of the Tikka Masala. Hands down, this was the best and most unique take on this dish that I have eaten. Reynoldsburg Magazine Photo Reynoldsburg Magazine • Spring, 2022 29 rosemary which went very well with the rest of the meal. Finally, for the true Napali experience, I ordered the Thakali Chicken Thali ($17.99). Thali is the traditional Nepali combination platter that can easily serve up to two people. The Chicken Thali came with rice, two kinds of vegetables, papad (a thin wafter), hot pickle, yogurt, and additional curries. Every dish in the platter was amazing but be warned about the pickles. They are called “hot” for a reason. The last dish in the platter was Gulab Jamun, a dessert of deepfried homemade cheese balls Reynoldsburg Magazine Photo Vegetable Momo which are steamed vegan dumplings, filled with soybean, cabbage, mashed potatoes, spices, onion, cilantro, ginger, and garlic. served warm in a bath of honey. This ended the meal perfectly, as I would describe it as a cross between a warm, fresh donut, and a baklava. I would highly recommend dining in person or ordering on-line for home. Himali Heritage is located at 7679 East Main Street in Reynoldsburg, and is open every day from 11am -9:30pm. They also have a lunch buffet Friday, Saturday and Sunday. www.himaliheritage.com RESTAURANT REVIEW Lisa Sherck is a contributor to Reynoldsburg Magazine as a restaurant reviewer. Chicken Thali came with rice, two kinds of vegetables, papad (a thin wafer), hot pickle, yogurt, and additional curries.
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