I backpacked across India early this year, or more accurately ate my way across India - so naturally after consuming copious amounts of curry, I've deemed myself an expert in Indian cuisine.
Although the name of the restaurant - Kathmandu suggests Nepally flair, they serve a fusion of North Indian, South Indian, Tibetan and of course Nepally inspired dishes.
I came here with a girlfriend on a Tuesday night and we ate:
- Papdam Lentil Chips: Our meal started off with a complimentary serving of Papadam lentil chips. At first bite, I was reminded of India. I am gluten intolerant and often ordered papadam chips to dip into my curries. It's a flat crisp made of chickpea flour and seasoned with black peppers. A great appetizer to share.
-Lamb Sali Boti (4/5) (~$14) Tender lamb cubes stewed with freshly ground spice, dry apricots, and garnished with fine straw potatoes. The sauce was thick, rich in flavor and mild in spice. I would have liked to taste the flavor of the lamb more; I knew I was eating meat, but couldn't distinguish what kind of meat I was eating.
Eggplant Bharta (3.5/5) (~$12) - Eggplant grilled over charcoal, mashed and cooked with fresh tomatoes, onion and spices. The curry was sweet, aromatic and also mild in spice. The composition of the curry was outweighed by tomatoes rather than eggplant. Still superb in flavor, but would have preferred the dish to have more eggplant texture and flavor.
Basmati Rice (~$3) - the two of us shared a dish of rice. The rice portion is quite large and was enough to fill two of us.
Chai Tea (4/5) - We ended the meal with a pot of Chai Tea to share. It was masala spiced with a hint of ginger. I gave the chai tea a 4/5 and have to admit this score may be unfair as it was delightful but nothing has compared to the shots of Chai from the streets of Mother India. If anyone has any recommendations for a place serving chai tea in Toronto, don't hold back on sending me a message!
Summary:
Food (4/5) - See ratings above. The curries here were thick, finely spiced and rich in flavor - overall very enjoyable.
Service (9/10) - Incredibly friendly and conversational ready staff. If you like to talk to your service staff, then you'll really enjoy the service here. They are pretty eager to maintain a conversation with you throughout dinner and may perhaps even interrupt your conversation to engage in conversation. Possibly annoying if you are in a deep conversation with your company.
Atmosphere (10/10) - Lots of seating available, great for family and kids and relatively quiet.
ProTip: The restaurant may be difficult to find. It is located on the north side of Cumberland, just west of Yonge. It's beside the Pizza Pizza, down a set of stairs with a red sign.