Done With Tikkas & Parathas? Try The Super Spicy Nepalese Food At This Quiet Cafe

Bhansaghar is barely a week-old but is on a mission to introduce you to typical, home-style Nepalese food. A meal here will make you realise how undervalued this cuisine is and of the great new world beyond momo; One that’s soaked in authentic spices and flavours. 

Unlike most kitschy cafes in Humayunpur, this one favours minimal decor. There’s none of the overdone walls to distract you from what comes on the plate and truth be told, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

It helps that it was quiet and perfectly lit for an evening of un-chilly chicken and conversations. We began our evening with Wai Wai Sadeko. A nepalese friend had once told us that it’s been her go-to snack for as long as she can remember and we just had to test if it was worth her love and attention. Sure enough, the bowl of Wai Wai “bhel” {as we like to call it} was irresistible. Just like everything else, this was just the start of what we’ll remember as the spiciest meal we’ve ever eaten.

The carnivores raved about Chicken Choila which had stir-fried chicken with chunks of spring onion, mustard seeds, garlic and chilli. The fresh taste paired well with the fruit beer too. It’ll be absolutely criminal to give this a miss.

This was followed by pork curry and Gundruk {picked leafy greens dunked in a spicy curry}. These heaped on rice were a match made in a gifted Nepalese kitchen. The three small chutneys/pickles that came with the meal are also stars in their own right. 

If you like spicy, you’ll dig the non-vegetarian fare here. There’s pork, fish, mutton and chicken to pick from. The vegetarians in the house also have a decent variety. Think potato, fried rice and even aloo gobhi curry and paneer! If you’re confused, jump straight to the thalis. The family that occupied the other table seemed quite appreciative of the mutton thali. In fact, the only one time they were disappointed to find a bowl of rice less in their elaborate order, they were given one in record time. Goes on to say a lot about the service, we’d say.

We, however, have a different story to tell. Our food took its own sweet time to come but when it did, it felt every second worth the wait. The staff was so apologetic about not being able to give us dal because their two-day-old kitchen wasn’t fully functional, that we let that pass – a smile and genuine apology melted our cold, unforgiving heart.

PS: Say hi to Abu, the manager man, if you see him.

Our only grouse {actually there are two} is that the washroom isn’t the cleanest. Also, we missed kothe {momo} and thukpa.