An Indian in Nepal?
Kathmandu; I am still reeling from last night’s fabulous Indian dinner at Third Eye restaurant in central Thamel. Well given I was craving authentic Indian dal it’s no surprise I suppose. The resto’s speciality is tandoori chicken so I ordered half, along with a portion of dal makani, basmati rice with juniper berries and cucumber yoghurt raita.
Third Eye's tasty tandoori chicken
And their delicious dal makani, plus yoghurt raita
Two glasses of Australian red later, and I had polished every single morsel…I guess FooDiva was hungry. The only interruption was the city’s regular power cuts which simply serve to make the place more romantic. The chicken was succulent, and tandoori grilled to perfection. The dal was as creamy and buttery as it should be, whilst the junipers spiced up a normally quite bland basmati. And all for under AED 100 – long live Third Eye and Indian cuisine.
As I know you won’t be visiting Nepal for the food alone (even though it’s worth a trip just to eat), here’s a few more cultural tips.
Pashupatinath
Just outside Kathmandu, you will find Pashupatinath, famed for its sacred Hindu temple and funeral ghats – call me morbid but it’s fascinating to watch the cremation.
Corner shop in teeny village - gotta love the international influence
Bodhnath's giant Buddhist stupa
A half hour stroll through villages and farmland will take you to Bodhnath and it’s enormous Tibetan Buddhist stupa.
And last but not least, make time for the last of the three medieval cities, Patan, otherwise known by its original sanskrit name Lalitpur (meaning ‘city of beauty’). And beautiful it is…like the others it also houses a Durbar square, where you can meander aimlessly through all the side streets and take in the temples.
Patan's Durbar square
Namaste for now.
FooDiva. x
I had no idea that the old Durbar Square in Kathmandu was so beautiful. Did you manage to see the Kumari (the little girl who’s revered as a Goddess)?