Pasang Sherpa grew up in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal, in the shadow of mountains that make the San Gabriel range look like suggestions. He came to Los Angeles and looked at the restaurant landscape and saw an absence: nobody was cooking the food he grew up with.
Himalayan Kitchen opened in 2015 on Alameda Avenue and immediately introduced Burbank to momos — those hand-folded Nepali dumplings that are to Nepal what dim sum is to China and ravioli is to Italy. The version here, filled with either spiced chicken or seasoned vegetables, arrives steamed and served with two sauces: a tomato-based chutney and a sesame-chili dipping sauce that is significantly hotter than it appears. They are the entry point and the reason most people first visit.
The dal bhat thali is the restaurant's most complete statement about Nepali cuisine. Lentil soup, rice, seasonal vegetable curry, pickle, and papadum — with unlimited dal and rice refills that reflect the Nepali tradition of eating dal bhat until you simply stop. It is among the most satisfying meals available in Burbank for under $20.
The lamb sekuwa — Nepali-style grilled lamb skewers with timur, the Szechuan pepper of the Himalayas — is the dish that rewards the adventurous. The tikka masala, a Himalayan interpretation of the dish that has become a global standard, benefits from tandoor-roasted chicken and a cardamom presence that distinguishes it from the North Indian version.
Himalayan Kitchen is a genuinely new flavor experience in a city that has seen most of them. Do not miss it.
