Yeti, The Himalayan Kitchen, which started its journey at Hauz Khas Village, is now back with a quaint new space. By Aakriti Narang
located on the second floor above two different pubs, each booming with its own rhythm of music and life, Yeti gives the impression of a sophisticated and wholesome eating experience. It is found in the heart of one of Delhi’s most attractive and elite tourist destinations which also happens to be a favourite haunt of the hipster crowd: Hauz Khas Village. This location places Yeti in a solid position of attracting travellers, students as well as entire families.
Upon entering, we were greeted by smiling faces and engulfed by a warm and pleasant hospitality. As soon as the door closed behind us, Yeti became a peaceful refuge away from swarming youngsters and the crowded bars, inside which they were seeking their shelter. The interior décor was doubtlessly splendid. It was inspired by the Namche Bazaar in Nepal, a village in the north eastern region of the hill country. The village serves as a gateway to the high Himalayas, which are Nepal’s greatest asset and point of attraction. The walls were decorated with traditionally embroidered textiles. The ambience was enhanced by soft, instrumental music playing in the background. The warmth of human chatter surrounded us. We felt as though we had been transported to a much calmer place and were in anticipation for the meal to follow.
When asked about Yeti’s speciality, the chef informed us, “Momos contribute to around 20 per cent of our sales. Apart from momos, we have no fixed specialty. Different food items are preferred by different groups of customers. When we decided to feature Himalayan cuisine, which we have defined as being a melange of Tibetan, Nepali and Indian food, I was a little unsure about it. However, once I started working for Yeti, I realised that the uniqueness of this melange is our strength.”
Even a brief glance at Yeti’s elaborate menu would immediately inform you that there is much more variety for non-vegetarians than there is for their veggie counterparts. Our meal began with one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian dry thupka. Although the traditional Nepali thupka is always served hot with noodles swimming in a bowl of tasty soup, the one offered here, as stated in the menu, was dry. The vegetarian thupka with its pale yellow noodles submerged in a bright orange sauce, looked immensely appetising. The sauce was garnished with herbs on top. The first few mouthfuls were pleasant, but if you have as low a capacity for eating spicy food as I do then make sure you keep your glass of water within arm’s reach. The sauce was spicy indeed.
The non-veg thupka’s chicken was not very enticing and rather bland. The first course had slightly lowered our expectations of what was to follow. For drinks, we chose watermelon juice and lemonade. While the watermelon juice was brilliant, the lemonade had a tinge of mango flavour. At first sight, the fancy-looking, easy-to-hold glass appeared to hold mango shake but a few sips convinced us that this was no ordinary lemonade. It kept our taste buds on edge, constantly trying to unravel the mystery behind the creation of this cool beverage.
Our taste buds were primed and after a short break, we dived into a vegetarian platter which consisted four things: Bhuteko chana, Aloo sadeko, Tingmo and Wai Wai sadeko, with great gusto. The word “sadeko” implies that the food is Nepali. The chana was warm and sumptuous; the aloo large, square and cold as they are supposed to be, sprinkled with sesame seeds. The Wai Wai consisted of chopped tomato, onion and coriander, all of which playfully intermingled in our mouths and unleashed a burst of flavours. It was the soft yet strong-steamed, hand-made bread Tingmo that acted as a palate cleanser in between the intense flavours.
We decided to consult the manager for the dish he considered to be Yeti’s masterpiece.He suggested Gundruk, dried and fermented radish leaves. They are slightly sour and come in different flavours. He also recommended Daatsi, which is a wholesome cheese sauce. This is from Bhutan and is served with Tingmo. These two are for vegetarians. For non-vegetarians, the mutton momos are a must-have. “The vegetarians shouldn’t feel left out and they can dig into special aloo momos. Our momos are freshly made. The cooks will start making the bag only after I place the order. Our momos take 25 minutes to be prepared. But the wait is definitely worth it,” he told us.
And worth the wait, it was. The aloo momos took the cake and virtually everything else for they were the highlight of the evening. The filling melted in our mouth with every bite that we took. With each consecutive bite, the flavours could be predicted but this kind of predictability was desirable; it made me realise that the next time we come, we will surely be devouring these again. The mutton momos were equally impressive.
The advantage that Yeti has is that it caters to a variety of people. Behind us sat a group of six friends who were enjoying themselves thoroughly. Good conversation is always complemented by good food. But keep the following in mind: if you are a college student, this might be the place for you to give your friends a birthday treat, but it’s not the place to eat on days when you’ve forgotten to bring packed lunch from home. It is quite costly. Special occasions can be celebrated here. A fellow diner justified the wait time. “We have to wait 20 minutes for certain dishes to be prepared...that’s not too much time since we use that time to talk. This also shows us that everything they make here is fresh.”
Yeti has recently collaborated with the Rastafarian culture-promoting Caribbean lounge called Raasta. The completely contrasting cuisines creates a mystery about the reason for this unexpected collaboration. Personally, we can confirm that there was no Bob Marley reggae music being played in Yeti. To experience that, you have to go to Raasta, which is right next door. The manager said “There is no connection with Raasta’s culture and cuisine. The only connection is that the same company owns both food chains. We have taken over the brand now.”
