Review
Kathmandu Kitchen in Malahide is the third restaurant from Nepalese restaurateur Raj and his partners. This stylish restaurant looks down over Georgian Malahide to the sea, and is beautifully decorated in a contemporary style, with a bar, garden area and an aquarium a Bond villain would be proud of.
We are shown to a seat in the front dining area which is separate from the main room, but has a lovely view. The main dining room is busier and quite buzzy, and if the predominantly female tables are a sign, the ladies of Malahide have taken a bit of Nepal to their hearts.
The full bar made our drinks order easy on a warm summer evening; Cobra beers all round and a large bottle of sparkling for the table. We start with one of my favourite dishes, Nepalese Momo. These little dumplings filled with pork or chicken are divine. They come with a hot dipping sauce and if you haven’t tried them, correct that oversight immediately. My friend peter is a well travelled man, but this is his first Nepalese meal, so he eases in with some jumbo prawns. Raj drops over a plate of vegetarian samosas as well, more to show them off as anything, because they are sliced in half, and stand open side up, drizzled with yoghurt and tamarind. Who knew the humble samosa could taste so good.
Main courses brought a homemade chicken Masala, Himalayan curry and sides if daal and Aloo Gobi. Peter’s Indian classic was fresh and tangy, and did that tingly thing on the tongue. My Himalayan curry was made with tender lamb pieces, sourced from the local butcher, finished in a spicy Himalayan sauce that people in Nepal eat on a regular basis. The sides of daal and potatoes and cauliflower were spicy and gently spiced respectively and our GOC naan was thin and crispy and perfect cooked, as was the Pilau rice.
We managed some Kulfi ice cream to finish, along with tea and good coffee. This new Kathmandu Kitchen is the best so far, and we already like the others. Nepalese food offers a variation on traditional Indian, with dishes and combinations you won’t find elsewhere. A great addition to Malahide’s dining scene, this new kid on the block is a knock out.
