A Slice of Tibet in An Unlikely Place – Pushkar, Rajasthan

Tibetan Kitchen

Opposite Dadudura Temple

Chotti Basti (Main Market Road – South End of Lake)

Pushkar, Rajasthan, 305022, India

Prices: $$$$$

Momos

Having spent close to two months in Dharamsala teaching English to Tibetan refugees, I came to know and love both the Tibetans and their cuisine. My wife spotted Tibetan Café while walking down the main market street next to the lake in Pushkar, so looking for a change from the usual curry, dal, and naan, we popped in.

The restaurant is on the rooftop overlooking the town (away from the lake) and is dark with colorful lamps and bamboo furniture offering some ambiance. The menu is quite eclectic as they have pizza, pasta, Indian, and Chinese, but being called Tibetan Kitchen, our choice was obvious.

It took ten minutes or so for the server to arrive even though we were one of three parties in the restaurant at the time, but I have grown much more patient in my two months in India as nothing happens very quickly here. He was very pleasant and the service excellent.

We ordered the potato and cheese momos (fried – 100 rupees/$1.60) and veggie thenthuk (95 rupees/$1.60), the prices and quality being equivalent to the numerous Tibetan restaurants in Dharamsala.  It took close to 30 minutes for our meal to arrive, but I could hear the chef chopping away in the kitchen so I knew our meal was being freshly prepared, a good sign.

Thenthuk

The momos were some of the best I have had, crispy and flavorful, coming with an onion broth for dipping as well as condiments (chili and soy sauces).  The thenthuk was excellent, brimming with noodles, cauliflower, potato, cabbage, carrots, and other fresh vegetables in a warm, savory broth with just a little more zing than their Dharamsala counterparts.

Coming in at a little over $7 for dinner for two including appetizer, drinks, and main course, I have to give Tibetan Kitchen high marks. Therefore, …

CombatCritic Gives Tibetan Café 8 Out Of 10 Bombs … BOMBS ARE GREEEEEEEEEAT!

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Just Like Momo Used To Make

Momo Café

TIPA (Dharankot) Road – Just West of Main Square

McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, H.P. India

Prices: $$$$$

Entrance – Dalai Lama Temple (Dharamsala, India)

I have tried to eat at Momo Café since reading the great reviews on TripAdvisor, but until today I was unsuccessful. With just three tables, seating 10 people max, you must be lucky or persistent to score a meal here.

They have all of the standard Tibetan fare … momos of course (Tibetan dumplings, steamed or fried, filled with veggies, cheese, potato, meat, or a combo thereof), thupka (long noodles in a broth with assorted veggies), and my favorite thenthuk. 

Momo Café Looks Dicey, But Is A Great Find!

As I sit waiting for my vegetable thenthuk (homemade sliced noodles in a broth chock full of vegetables – 80 rupees/$1.30), I glance at the young Tibetan women at the next table enjoying theirs and it looks pretty darn good!

Twenty five minutes later and no sign of my lunch, I am wondering if I will make it to Rinpoche’s teaching at 2 pm near the Dalai Lama Temple. Just as the ladies leave, food appears from the tiny kitchen, but alas it is for the three young men at the only other table in the place. I hear chopping from behind the curtain, obviously coming from the preparation of my thenthuk. The good news … my meal will be freshly made … the bad … I will almost surely be late for the second day in a row to my Buddhist philosophy class.

Vegetable Thenthuk – 80 Rupees ($1.30)

When the thenthuk finally arrived 40 minutes after arrival, it was in-fact fresh, hot and delicious, one of the best I have had since arriving in Dharamsala. At 105 rupees ($1.70) including a liter of mineral water, it was also one of the BEST VALUES in India so far!

CombatCritic Gives Momo Café 9 Bombs Out Of 10 … BOMBS ARE GOOD!

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Key Words: Momo Café, Momo, momos, café, thenthuk, thupka, tsampa, Tibetan, food, restaurant, CombatCritic, travel, value, McLeod Ganj, mcleod, ganj, Dharamsala, India, Dalai Lama