Taste of the Himalayas

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — From the outside, Taste of the Himalayas looks more like a dry cleaner or a payday loan service than a place serving food, tucked away in a corner spot in one of those suburban strip malls where everything is the color of scorched earth and the parking stalls are half the size of a normal car.

Here you will find a cross-section of classical Nepalese, Indian, and Tibetan traditions, commonly referred to as Himalayan cuisine, and there’s some Asian influence thrown in for good measure. For instance, there’s an entire section of the menu devoted to momo, a series of thick-walled steamed dumplings shaped like Chinese bao with fillings that highlight ingredients from India. These come with a tomato chutney sauce and are so popular that they often sell out.

The good

Chicken tikka masala is arguably the most unimaginative dish to order in a restaurant, and I get it way more often than I should. Here, it is white boneless cubed chicken served in a sweet-savory curry, one that’s a bit too sweet and not savory enough if you ask me, but overall it hits the spot. If you’re going to be boring and uninspired, this is the place to do it.

The chicken vindaloo is a considerable step up, that same cubed boneless chicken simmered in a terrific creamy bevy of potatoes, herbs, and tomatoes. The flavors here are a bit more deep and complex, undercut with bold hits of vinegar and garlic.  

The saag aloo is another go-to and a favorite vegetarian dish anywhere, a wonderfully rich mix of potatoes and spinach cooked with onions, tomatoes, and a wealth of Himalayan spices. The version here is comforting and full of tender chunks of potato swirling in a sea of creamy spinach.

Sides range from decent to good. The default lunch naan is doughy but plain, completely unseasoned or otherwise garnished. The naan off the regular menu is more like it, sprinkled with fragrant specks of garlic, cilantro, onion, and other seasonings, and you’ll have much better luck in terms of flavor.

The bad

Appetizers can be hit or miss. Some daal (lentil) soup is usually offered to start, a bit bland and considerably thinned over time. The papad with mint chutney is their version of table bread with dipping sauce, wafer-thin crisps made from lentils served with some smooth mint chutney.

Note that if you enjoy the slow burn that comes with wonderfully spicy food, you won’t find that here, a place where I ask for an ‘8’ and consistently receive food that’s on the negative side of the spicy number line. Of course, the waiter will act like you’ve asked for a war crime to happen on your plate and then serve you stuff with the heat factor of water.

Joyless service seems to be a common trait among all locations. When you ask for a container for your leftover curry, you’ll be brought a flimsy paper thing. When you point out that liquid would seep through such a box, you’re begrudgingly brought something a little sturdier.

The lunch special

If you can overlook the cons, a primary reason to visit Taste of the Himalayas is for the lunch deal: the daal soup, naan, and two mains for $9.95, with a few premium options available at an up-charge, all clearly noted on the lunch special menu. I don’t think there’s enough of a price-value proposition to visit for dinner, where it’s bigger portions of the same flavors with the prices to match.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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