New Delhi’s Yeti appears in Mumbai

There’s a snowman in town. And he serves the city’s finest momos
YetiMomo
The famous momos at Yeti

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Mumbai does not do good momos. You'll find the odd Assamese home kitchen in Versova, perhaps, or one lonely Naga restaurant in the innards of Kalina, but even the city's diehard evangelists have to concede that it is sorely lacking in food from any of the northeastern states or neighbouring mountain countries.

This gap is now firmly on its way to being filled with the entry of Yeti – The Himalayan Kitchen, imported all the way from New Delhi's Hauz Khas Village to 5th Road in Khar (West). It's a favourite in the capital for its heartwarming mountain fare and meaty offal dishes, but then, Delhi has a real winter to contend with. We couldn't help but wonder how its much-loved Nepali, Tibetan and Bhutanese dishes would fare in Mumbai's climate that varies from humid to more humid.

First things first – if you've been to the one in HKV and are expecting this to be exactly the same, you're in for a surprise. Unlike the original's warm wood and brick interiors, decorated with traditional thangkas and prayer wheels, this outpost has more chill, in keeping with the relaxed vibe of Mumbai. The 20-seater ground floor open-air space, in the same building as Raasta (owned by the Eminent Entertainment group) is actually not operational yet, owner Prashant Singh explained, because "it's too hot for this kind of food in Mumbai and customers will want to be in air-conditioned comfort right now." So we were led up to the cooler confines of Raasta, which is conveniently serving all the food of the Yeti menu as well.

The vegetarian Tibetan platter

Settled into our seats by a large window overlooking trees, we decided it was too hot for alcohol, so we decided on some fresh lime soda. And then it was time. We had been dreaming of Yeti's juicy, meaty dumplings ever since news broke that the snowman was arriving in the city, and we were nervous, because what if reality didn't match up?

The mutton jhol momos allayed our fears. The keema-filled dumplings swimming in a heavenly keema broth were every bit as good as we had anticipated, the casing firm, the meat well cooked and flavourful and the broth moreish. We could have ordered another round, but wanted to save space for one of the datshis–the Bhutanese cheese and chilli stews that have warmed our frozen selves on many a winter night in Delhi. And we were right to, because the vegetarian kewa datshi, with potatoes, was carb-laden TLC in a bowl. Just what the doctor ordered after a long week at work.

For good measure, we also ordered all our old favourites: aloo ko achar, a spicy potato dish served cold; a Tibetan Platter consisting of gyuma (mutton sausages), shapta (slices of buff meat) with onion, garlic and spices, cheley (buff offal) coated in a veggie and Nepali spice mix and lowa (goat lungs) with onion and tomato. All present and correct, though the latter three could do with a lighter hand on the spices that they're coated in, which obscure the flavours of the meat, which is cooked perfectly. We used the dense pillow of tingmo (Tibetan bread) that came with the platter to mop up the leftover gravy.

Not everything about the meal was perfect. The Nepali mutton kababs were a bit dry, and the fried green beans in black bean sauce were a tad too salty. They were out of the yomari (sweet Newari steamed rice dumplings with Nutella) so we ordered some honey and ginger tea to round off the meal. Unfortunately, that took 20 minutes to arrive, despite the fact that the restaurant wasn't even half full. And it would bode well for the restaurant to keep a stricter check on hygiene as we spotted an unwelcome creepy crawly at our table.

But these could well be teething problems that plague any new restaurant. So we're hopeful that this Yeti's footprint stays in the city. Because, well, momos.

Yeti – The Himalayan Kitchen, Rohan Plaza, 5th Road, Khar (West), Mumbai. Meal for two: Rs 1,200 with alcohol