Himalayan Wild Yak - a newly opened Nepali restaurant in Northern Virginia

Rating: 4/5 

Wild boar appetizer

Price for two: $60-$100.  

On a crisp fall afternoon, we planned a visit to this newly opened Nepali restaurant in one of Northern Virginia's suburbs in Loudoun county, VA. 

Partially due to the preceding hike in the town of Middleburg, Virginia and it being the only big meal of the day, I think we did justice to the pretty diverse menu of the Himalayan Wild Yak. I have had Nepali food in the past, and it has always seemed to be a simpler version of Indian cuisine- lighter on spice and simpler preparations.

For appetizers, we had a spicy wild boar cooked perfectly well with spice and mustard oil and served with sauces on the side. They also had a variety of momos and we chose chicken momos that were steamed, stuffed with a moderately spicy chicken mix and served with a delicious dipping sauce. The generous portion was made up of 8 large dumplings at $11 a plate. 

Crispy yak with chilli sauce

Chicken momos

Goat curry thali

As the name of the restaurant suggests, its yak (a mountain cow native to the Himalayan mountains, similar to bison or buffalo meat) dishes make its menu quite unique when compared to most desi or South Asian restaurants in the region. It offers a few yak appetizers (including momos and yak korma), along with main course dishes. Of which, we tried their yak chili served with fried rice. It was our first time trying yak. Gamey like the bison meat, it was cooked in an Indo-Chinese style with copious amounts of chili sauce and went well with the fried rice. Also, as one of our main course meals, we tried a Nepali set meal, or what we call a "thali" in India - an assortment of several dishes. I chose a goat curry set meal that came with lentils or dal, cauliflower, blanched spinach with a lovely flavor of whole spices (tadka) and goat curry cooked with a strong cardamon flavor.

All in all, a good dining experience. The restaurant is spacious and open all day with a single menu. I would recommend going at least once if you are a lover of meat and South Asian spices used in moderation. 

A culinary tour of the Banff

Curry octopus, dumplings and spicy shrimp at Chinatown

I have visited several national parks in the US and while the natural beauty is stunning and a real treat to the eyes, they have all failed to satisfy my taste buds. My recent trip to Canada was an exception! I visited the Banff national park across the border from Montana near Calgary. We spent a whole week in this mountainous region and to our pleasant surprise, the food didn't disappoint- whether in terms of quality and variety. 

We spent two days in Calgary, at the beginning and end of our trip, where we sampled the local Chinese and Caribbean food, respectively. The Chinese dishes included curry octopus, shrimp dumplings and spicy shrimp in a cozy restaurant at the city's Chinatown, while the Caribbean included jerk chicken with beans and rice as a take out in the comfort of our hotel.  While the Chinese fare was a bit of a disappointment with respect to the spice levels, the jerk chicken was a winner. 

Lava cake with cranberry and white chocolate ice-cream

We spent three days in Banff, which had a a surprising variety of ethnic dining options. We tried Indian-Chinese fusion, Chinese-Thai, Greek, and the traditional Anglo breakfasts. While the English-Canadian breakfasts were pretty standard and comprised of eggs, avocado toasts, and potatoes, they were flavorful and filling. The dinner meals seemed to be made to order, and were quite authentic. On our first day at the Banff, we got Indo-Chinese food that included chicken triple schezwan, dry chicken Manchurian, and a fish curry with naan from a restaurant called Saffron in the heart of the town. Portions were fairly large and while we couldn't finish them, they were delicious and reminded me of the dishes back home that I haven't had in a while. On another day, we ordered Chinese and Thai curry and while many might claim that it is hard to get Thai food wrong, the mere fact that we had the option of ordering these meals was very heartening. 

Greek bowl at Balkan

We tried an outdoor seating at a Balkan restaurant, a Greek specialty in the heart of town.  We had a grilled chicken greek bowl, cauliflower soup and a pork gyro for lunch. The ingredients were fresh, and while the food was a bit pricy, the scenic view of the mountains was a treat. Finally, as a reward for our strenuous hike to the summit of the Sulphur mountain, we had lunch at the Sky Bistro restaurant that had a buffet with an absolutely stunning view. I would not characterize the buffet as out of the world, but there were a couple of proteins (beef and grilled chicken) along with veggies, and flatbreads as well as quite a few desserts and coffees.  

Seared Ahi Tuna

We left Banff and spent a couple of days in Lake Louiss, a resort town further up in the mountains. Here, we dined at the Mount Fairview Restaurant. The dishes we tried included seared ahi tuna, bison burger, duck confit, flatbreads for the main course as well as their house made ice cream with a delicious lava cake with orange cream sauce and sorbet for desserts. While it was traditional French/English cuisine, everything was well executed. 

Curried lamb rack - Instapot recipe

Curried lamb rack with a Mediterranean flavor

Ingredients

1 lamb rack
1 small onion
3-5 pods of garlic

1 whole jalapeno pepper (julienne cut)
1 teaspoon each of chilli, cumin, garam masala [Add more to suit your taste]

1 teaspoon coriander seeds 

1 cup olives 

1/2 cup readymade Hunt tomato sauce 

2 spoons pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves (for garnish)

Salt to taste

Step 1: Sauté diced onion, garlic, pepper and olives on the Sauté function of the Instapot for about 3-4 minutes. 

Step 2: Add the spices, coriander seeds and olives. Sauté it for another minute. 

Step 3: Add the tomato sauce and whole lamb rack. Pressure cook for 6-8 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. 

Step 4: Garnish with pomegranate seeds/coriander leaves. 

Step 4: Serve hot with rice or couscous. 

The Lantern House - my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Falls Church

 

Caramelized fish in clay pot

Not too long ago, The Lantern House, a Vietnamese restaurant, opened near our home. While the Eden Center (Little Vietnam of the DC area) is not too far from where we live, this place would actually be walkable on a nice day. 

We have already visited it twice for dinner and once for lunch and would not hesitate to crown it our current "favorite" restaurant in town. If you are in the Falls Church, you must try it - you wont regret it. 

Vietnamese food has become one of my favorite cuisines - mostly because it feels lighter in comparison to most Asian food, yet flavorful enough that I can develop an appetite for it. And most importantly, if you are like me, i.e. middle aged and counting your calorie intake, you don't end up feeling guilty after gorging on it.  

We tried their chicken Bahn mi sandwich for lunch. Served with pickled cucumbers, onion and extremely well flavored grilled chicken inside a fresh baguette, it was a delicious protein-packed lunch for a reasonable price of $10. You may be able to find a bahn mi at the Eden center for $5 (and I have had it there too) but this one definitely weighs more on the meat and you get to enjoy a nice(r) ambience (it has limited outdoor seating too - definitely a plus)! 

Chicken curry stew with noodles

For dinner, so far, we have tried their shrimp summer rolls (vegetables, vermicelli and shrimp rolled in a rice paper and served with a peanut sauce), lemongrass chicken with chillies, caramelized fish in a clay pot with sticky rice, and chicken curry stew (where you have an option of either pairing it with a baguette, or noodles). I would highly recommend the caramelized fish in the clay pot, which has always been my favorite of the dishes on a Vietnamese menu. It is fried fish in a sweet and spicy sticky sauce, served with sticky rice. To me, the lemongrass chicken resembled the "Indian style chilli chicken" - cooked with peppers, onions and soya sauce. Finally, the chicken curry stew with the vermicelli is simply so refreshing that you can't just have enough of it.   

There are lots of others dishes on their menu I haven't tried and I look forward to trying their popular soups (phos), salads, noodles, and other specialty rice dishes, after which I will update this blog. Lots of pork and beef on their menu too!

The last time we were there, the servers gave us a complimentary milk tea. There are several other drinks on the menu (e.g. the sugarcane juice) that I look forward to trying. 

Chicken Pineapple macaroni salad

 -- By Sania Nadkarni 

Ingredients: 

1 bell pepper

1 tomato

1/4th cabbage

7-8 pieces of pineapple

3-4 chicken breasts 

1 cup macaroni

12-15 pieces walnuts

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons Mayo

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Cut all vegetables [Capsicum or bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbage] into small cubes. 
2. Cut pineapples into tiny cubes, add a little bit of sugar and freeze it for 5 minutes. Don't miss out on the pineapple. It is juicy and really adds flavor to the salad. 
3. In a pan, add some olive oil and cook chicken pieces into cubes with salt and pepper. Keep the chicken aside. 
4. Toss the cut veggies in the same pan for a few minutes [ don't add more oil]
5. Cut walnuts into small pieces and add to the bowl. 
6. Boil macaroni pasta [in 5 cups of water] with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1teaspoon salt. 
7. Mix the chicken, vegetables, pineapple and macaroni in a bowl. Squeeze 1/4th lemon, mix and leave aside. 
8. For the dressing, mix the mayo with 1 teaspoon olive oil and little milk. [It should not be very thick or watery]
9. Mix and pour it over the macaroni-veggie mixture. 
10. Mix well and refrigerate for some time. 
11. Serve chilled. 

Posh toast!

Homemade Avocado toast

 Avocado Toast is my new favorite posh toast. Perfect for breakfast, it is healthy and ready in minutes. While I have had several avocado toasts on breakfast menus in restaurants, my favorite was the one I had at Philadelphia's Reading Market. 

Here's a recipe to a version I tried : 

Ingredients

1 ripened avocado (mashed) 

Sea salt and pepper
2 slices of bread of your choice 
1 teaspoon chilli oil (store bought Chinese chilli oil) or Chilli flakes and olive oil
Topping of your choice: smoked salmon, fried egg or smoked ahi tuna

Avocado toast with fried egg, Reading Market

Step 1: Mash avocado and add a little bit of lime.
Step 2: Spread it on toasted slices of bread. 
Step 3: Add toppings of your choice. I have tried smoked salmon, fried egg and smoked ahi tuna.
Step 4: Add pepper, salt, and sprinkle chilli flakes and olive oil. Alternatively, you can use the ready made chilli oil. 

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients
8 Chicken thighs
3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
3 green chilies
2 large onions
3 tomatoes
1/2 bunch of coriander leaves
2 potatoes
4 eggs
1.5 cups of basmati rice
2 Star anise/cinnamon stick.

For the marinade
1 cup yoghurt
2 teaspoon each chili, turmeric, cumin-coriander powders
2 teaspoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Boil eggs, cut them into halves and keep aside.
Step 2: Cut potatoes into slices, lightly sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Alternatively, you can also shallow fry the potatoes.
Step 3: Cut the chicken thighs into small pieces, and marinate them in yoghurt and spices listed above and keep aside for a few hours.
Step 4: Sauté the sliced onions and slit green chilies in ghee or oil of your choice on low-medium heat until they are caramelized.

 

Step 5: Add the diced onions and let it cook well.

Step 6: Finely chop the fresh coriander leaves and add it to the mix and let it cook.

 

Step 7: Add the marinated chicken to this and let it cook until the chicken is well done. Add salt and more spice to suit your taste.

Step 6: Pressure cook the rice separately with some oil, star anise and cinnamon stick.

Step 9: Once the chicken is done, in a separate dish, layer the curry at the bottom, add rice, potatoes. The top most layer should be rice. 

Step 9: Garnish on top with some more coriander leaves and boiled eggs. Once its layered, let the biryani cook on low heat for around 10-15 minutes.

Step 10: Serve hot with a side of yoghurt/or salad of your choice.