'The Hunter's Lodge Restaurant': a haven for Nepali Food

By Prabalta Rijal

the building behind us is the Hunter's Lodge.

Kathmandu over the past few decades has evolved into a city of fusion foods, and after the turn of the century  we saw restaurants sprouting like mushrooms across this lush valley, with eateries and restaurants  serving a vast array of food from various parts of the world. However, if you are looking for an ethnic culinary experience, like no other, look no further than 'The Hunters Lodge Restaurant', at the Gokarna Resort.

Nestled amid trees and a beautiful forest behind it, the restaurant is lodged inside a cottage that is over a-hundred-years-old and it is believed to have been used by the royals as a 'Hunter's Lodge', where they would rest before going to hunt into the royal hunting grounds of the Gokarna Forest. 

Just walking into the restaurant makes you feel like you have walked back into time and have entered the mystical world of the Nepali Royals. The carvings, mud walled interiors, wooden floors  and large windowsills give off a warm and welcoming feeling, while the low chairs and tables are comfortable and perfectly match the old era ambience. The one thing that struck me about its ambience however were the high ceilings, unlike the low ceilings we are used to seeing in traditional cottages this cottage had rather high ceilings.

Anyways, as we got seated for the next-to, royal culinary experience, we were greeted with warm smiles. Our  nine course meal began soon after, with 'Machha Taray Ko', these crispy deep fried fresh water fish were served whole with tomato pickle and salad. As we bit into it we could taste the slight burst of spices that had been used to marinate it. The fish were fried so well that we could just chew the bones without having to worry about them getting stuck in our throats.

After this, came the Bara, slightly different from what we had expected this was more like savoury  lentil pancakes and we couldn't really feel the coarseness of the lentils as they had been ground so finely. Though this came as a surprise to us the twist was really good and I couldn't wait to get home and try making it myself.

 Right after the bara came the 'Kukhura Poley Ko', this smoked marinated chicken salad which kind of resembled a traditional radish pickle tasted great after a rather bland and very smooth bara.  As we put a spoonful of it into our mouth we were hit with a zing of freshly ground pepper and fried fenugreek . The spices that had been used were traditional Nepali spices that aren't too spicy or hot. The slight fresh aroma of the mustard oil kept us longing for more as we swiped our plates clean. We didnt have to wait much longer for the next dish as we soon saw cheerful looking waiters walk in with yet another set of entrées, the 'Chyau Sandheko' . The Nepali mushroom salad put  before us looked slightly different as they weren't button mushrooms like I had expected but the more leafy chanterelle mushrooms. The mushrooms still retained their moisture, and we could tell from the sponginess that they had been blanched really well.  However ,I thought it was a little too bland, as I couldn't taste the garlic or the strong sourness of fresh lime and the burst of fresh ground pepper,  that we are so used to tasting in any 'sandheko' dish in Nepal.

Well after that rather okayish plat, came my favourite dish of all times the mutton sukuti, this too had a slight twist to it, as it was served with finely chopped cabbage and fresh lime. I Must say this sukuti left me craving for more and though I was feeling a little filled up, I couldn't help wondering what they had install for us next.

 As I put my fork down I could hear the resort's Food and Beverage director Raju Ghimire, say, "the spices we use in Nepali food just slightly enhance the flavour unlike in Indian food, in which the flavour of the spices are far more dominating." I had been so engrossed in the food in front of me I really hadn't heard much of the conversation, but now that I had to wait for the next set to of appetizers to arrive, I looked up at him and listened to what he had to say in sheer fascination. I never really knew about the history of Nepali food, so everything he had to tell us was very intriguing.

 We still had three more entrées to go before the main course and must say the last three were not my favourites, the 'Bhanta ko chokha', though appreciated by everybody in the group I didn't quite like it, I don't really like eggplant and I'm not an offal person so the 'Phokso Bharayko' or stuffed mutton lungs didn't go too well with me, however it was served pretty well and it looked delicious, I must confess If I didn't know I was eating lungs I might have enjoyed it. However, I relished the green cucumber it was served on. And right before the main course came the Khasi ko Khutti ko jhol, a traditional  Nepali mutton knuckle soup. The soup was okay though the burnt smokey smell in it was a little off putting, but never-the-less it made me look forward to the main course.

For the main course we were served a thali filled with medium portions of, 'Dal, Sag Jhaanye ko (Spinach sautéed in garlic and red chillies),'Khasi ko jhol (mutton curry),Phapar ko Dhido(Buckwheat Porridge) and rice with Silam ko chhop and a smoked green chili. Even after finishing nine starters we still found ourselves enjoying the main course. The Dal was thick and of the right consistency, we could taste the right amount of garlic and  dry red chillies in the 'sag jhanye ko'. My favourite however was the Buckwheat porridge with the silam ko chhop, I could feel the porridge melt in my mouth as the chhop added a burst of tanginess to the otherwise bland porridge. After  this finger licking good main course we took a sip of our lemon sodas and were ready for the desert.

For desert, we had 'Khuwa Roti', Senior Sous Chef Jibesh Pokharel's invention that will have crepe lovers asking for more. This buckwheat crepe was rolled in concentrated milk and was served with concentrated pomegranate sauce. The crepe easily melts away inside your mouth leaving your taste buds with a longing for more of the sweet creamy taste of concentrated milk. While, the slight tangy sweet taste of the pomegranate dip makes you wonder if you ever had a more heavenly desert before.

Though I would love to be indulgent and selfish and keep this place a secret, the chef's work here is just too brilliant for it to stay hidden for too long, and there is no doubt that pretty soon most of the tables here will be packed, as it is well on its way to becoming the hottest reservation in town.