Kathmandu

David and I had dinner with Pamela and Scott (of Wingbean) last Friday night at Kathmandu, a Himalayan restaurant in downtown Asheville, N.C. I’d been wanting to try this place out since it opened (last year, I think), but just never got around to it.

Even though it was really pricey and not a place I would go to often for that reason ($60 for two people), it was certainly delicious. The atmosphere was so warm, and as soon as we walked through the door you were hit with the scent of spices from an Indian kitchen. The walls are painted red and adorned with artifacts (real or fake, I’m not sure) from the Himalayan region.

The staff was very helpful, and incredibly knowledgable about the ingredients in all of the dishes. Our waitress (and the couple of other staff members who assisted us during our meal – customer service at this place is incredible!) knew exactly what we needed when we specified that we wanted vegan meals. Also, according to their website, they grind all their own spices and use local ingredients, which is super rad.

We ended up sharing two appetizers, were both deep-fried goodness. For some reason I can’t remember exactly what we got, but I’m pretty sure it was a plate of samosas and another of vegetable pakora.

I decided on the Vege chau chau, a Tibetan noodle dish with garlic, ginger, and vegetables. I also had a few Lhasa beers, which comes with a feeling of having made a small contribution to a good cause – 10% of the profits go to a Tibetan organization.

The dinner was delicious, the staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgable, the atmosphere was cozy. This would be a fabulous place for a date. Or for a double date with awesome people. Like Pamela…