Little Tibet Restaurant has a good memory with me of the food, so going back for pictures was appealing. I passed on the tea with salt and butter this time, though – very much like the Indian version, and I don’t care for that either.
I started with the Tentuk, a hearty soup with handmade noodles and slices of beef, garnished with fresh spinach and coriander:
Good, but not that unusual. Basically a light tomato/vegetable broth soup, though I was fond of the coriander that was added. Certainly better than what I’d get from a can, and a pleasant, simple starter.
The menu has about 8 different versions of the Momo dish. I went with the one labelled “Tibet’s most popular dish”. Named simply “Momo”, it’s described as steamed handmade beef dumpllings served with seasonal greens:
The beef in the dumping was slightly spicy, and the salad was fresh with a sweet, light dressing. I didn’t use the tomato-based dipping sauce (?) much – it didn’t add to the taste for me. A simple dish that’s filling and satisfying, but not particularly unusual, especially if you’re used to Oriental foods. Aside from the spices, the dumplings didn’t seem that much different than you might find at an Oriental grocery store.
For dessert was the Mindha, an all natural rice and dried fruit dessert originally served in monasteries in Tibet:
Quite sweet, cinnamon-y. The rice was softer than I would have liked (I like my pastas, rice, and noodles firm). I believe the dried fruit was raisins. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t that interested in it either.
Overall, I don’t know why I recalled this restaurant so fondly. The food is simple, filling, and refreshing, and you certainly avoid the effects of eating heavy or rich meals like steak. However, the dishes were quite simple – I guess that’s appropriate for the monasteries of Tibet.
Another review of this restaurant noted that Tibetan cuisine borrowed from its Indian and Chinese neighbours. I’d say that’s true, which removes some of the novelty if you’re familiar with those cuisines.
If I go back, I’ll have to remember to ignore the dishes labelled as popular in Tibet, and try the unusual ones. While the food was good, and I certainly had no complaints, they’re pretty simple, pleasant foods, but at prices a little higher than I’m comfortable with. Those prices btw, were: Tentuk (3.95), Momo (9.50), Mindha (5).
