Satkar Restaurant in Kathmandu

During our last few days in Kathmandu, we had the privilege of dining at Satkar Restaurant.

The restaurant is conveniently located in Thamel, Kathmandu which is walking distance from Hotel Family Home where we were hibernating (read: recovering) for 2 days after our trek to Annapurna Base Camp.

 Satkar Restaurant is in a typical Nepali style house. The two folks are Angie and Raj (our host). I had to cross the road to snap this pic because the building was too big. And yet, my viewfinder still could not capture the entire building.

As you can see from the bunting, one of Satkar Restaurant's speciality is its Nepali Thali Set.

 We had pre-dinner cocktails in the lovely garden inside while waiting for Raj's friend to arrive.

Soon we moved to the first floor for dinner so that we could watch the traditional Nepali dances which are performed every night.

Now comes the food :-)

We ordered the Non-Vegetarian Nepali Thali Set which consists of Starters, Main Course, Dessert and Tea/Coffee.

Starters

Clockwise:

• Alu Tareko (Fried potatoe)
• Momo (Steamed dumpling stuffed with minced chicken)

Not in photo:

• Bhatamas Sandheko (Marinated roasted soyabeans)
• Suruwa (Nepali soup)

My favourite is the Momo. 

You see, all throughout my experiences dining in Nepal I've never tasted a good Momo until I came to Satkar Restaurant. Their chicken filing was extremely flavourful and tasty, unlike the other Momo's I've had before. After tasting Satkar's Momo I was motivated to order Momo again from other establishments. 

The Bhatamas Sandheko (roasted soyabean) was crunchy and had a unique taste. I loved it too!

Main Course

Hold your breath for the main course:

Clockwise:

• Sada Bhuja (Basmati Rice)
• Achar (Homemade pickles) 
• Bandel Tareko (Wild boar which is boiled, fried sautéed and mixed with local spices)
• Saag (Seasonal fresh green leaves boiled and sautéed with spices)
• MisMas Tarkari (Seasonal mixed vegetables cooked in a local style)
• Kukhura Ko Ledo (Rich gravy chicken)
• Kalo Dal (Lentils prepared in an iron pot with heated purified butter and garnished with herbs)

This was the first time I had wild boar in Nepal and it was a pleasant surprise. Didn't know that wild boar meat is available in Nepal :-)

Anyway, the whole main course was nothing to shout about. I've eaten better thali sets in other simpler establishments.


Dessert

Dessert was a simple Shikarni which is thick yoghurt mixed with dried nuts and cinnamon.

Again, this dessert is nothing to shout about. It's just the usual yoghurt that can be found in the stores. Moreover I didn't find any dried nuts in this particular yoghurt and I didn't get any taste of cinnamon either.


Conclusion

Apart from the Starters (which I loved!), the rest of the dishes were nothing to shout about.

Prices are also rather expensive - This Non-Vegetarian Nepali Thali Set costs Rs 895 + 10% Service Charge.

I can get more delicious thakali sets in other establishments for a fraction of that price. But I guess we're paying for the authentic Nepali ambience of the restaurant.

In conclusion, if you want to dine and experience an authentic Nepali restaurant complete with traditional dances, then come to Satkar Restaurant. But if you're coming for the food, then you're better off dining elsewhere.