Friday, September 14, 2001

Namaste a Himalayan high
By John Lehndorff

The Sanskrit word namaste translates as "I bow to the divine in you" or "I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells." Pronounced "nahm ah STAY," the salutation is expressed with two hands pressed together as if in prayer and held near the heart with the head gently bowed.

After visiting Namaste Restaurant in Lakewood, I'm inclined to offer the same reverential greeting to the mix of Nepali, Indian and Tibetan served there. I certainly found my bliss eating the vegetarian momos, the delightful Tibetan-born dumplings.

Lunchtime buffets are a dime a dozen, but Namaste's spread is among the best I've sampled. the lunch buffet ($6.95) is a help-yourself bargain introduction to these somewhat exotic victuals. When we stopped by on a recent weekday, the stainless steel smorgasbord was loaded with a simple salad, fresh fruit, cardamom-scented basmati rice, lentil (dal) and bean soups and some outstanding entrees. I started with some onion bhaji, the subcontinent's version of the Bloomin' Onion. this fritter consists of strands of onion deep-fried in a spiced batter.

The tumeric-tinged chicken curry offered boneless bird settled in a good-to-the-last-drop (but not too hot) gravy. In general, Nepali and Tibetan cuisine is less fiery than most Indian food. My favorite item was the saag paneer, an outstanding rendition of the classic creamed spinach dish, with layers of spicing nuance and big chunks of dense fresh cheese. It's one of my favorite comfort foods. I liked dipping chunks of brick-hued tandoori chicken leg in the green sauce. the shrimp masala featured small crustaceans in a thin, mild curry. We were also quite pleased with the basket of puffy naan breads piping hot from the kitchen.

I cranked up the flavor on the buffet's vegetable curry, sauteed chickpeas and cooked cabbage with mango chutney, tart cucumber yogurt sauce, bright green mint chutney, and tomato achar.

We finished lunch with kheer, the saffron-scented custardy rice pudding, and gulab jamun, dense milk and honey nuggets in a thick syrup.

When we returned for dinner with friends who had dined in India extensively, momos were on my mind.

For appetizers, our families gobbled up chicken pakora ($3.95), deep-fried chicken fritters, and the crowd-pleasing vegetable samosa ($2.95), a fried pastry filled with potatoes and green peas. Mild ground lamb stuffed the meat samosa ($3.95).

Other Namaste starters include tandoori wings ($3.95), chana chatpat ($3.75), chickpeas in a sweet and sour sauce, and various vegetable, bean, lentil and chicken soups ($2.95).

On the Indian side of the menu we opted for the mixed tandoori ($15.95), a sizzling metal platter piled high with tender pieces of lamb, shrimp, salmon and chicken dry-roasted in a charcoal-fired oven. For extra fire, we asked for a dish of salty, perfumed, five-alarm spicy pickle. It's one of those in-you-face tastes that'll have you saying to yourself, "Hmmm, I've never tasted or smelled anything quite like this."

Perhaps the hottest, spiciest dish we sampled was the lamb curry ($11.95), a memorable melding of chunks of tender lamb and intense gravy. Our vote for the most intriguing dish went to Namaste's  shrimp saag ($12.95), a variation on the classic entree, featuring lots of chewy shrimp enveloped in creamed spinach seasoned with fenugreek, tomatoes and garlic.

On the mild side, we favored the daal tarka ($6.95), creamy, gently spiced lentils cooked with butter, and the kid-pleasing chicken korma ($11.95) in a mild, thick sauce with nuts.

We scooped up the saag, korma, curry and other sauces with pieces of onion kulcha ($2.50), a yummy white flatbread covered in onions, and alu paratha ($2.95), potato-stuffed whole-wheat bread. The bread menu also boasts fruit-and-nut-filled kabuli naan ($2.95), paratha ($2.50) and roti ($1.95).

Finally, my momo moment arrived.

Namaste's vegetable momos ($7.95) are crescent-shaped, crimped dough pockets stuffed with mildly seasoned shredded vegetables. These light refreshing mouthfuls are one of the most appealing meat-free entrees I've tasted this year.

The meat momos ($8.95) are filled with finely minced meat and onions and are made to be dipped in tamarind sweet-and-sour sauce and ground chili sauce. With either variety, be prepared with a napkin. These doughty treats are full of warm juice that tends to shoot out when you bite into them too enthusiastically.

The Nepali chicken thupka ($7.95) was the only disappointment. The undistinctive bowl of noodles and veggies in broth with bits of chicken seemed virtually spice-free.

Other Napali entrees include vegetable-stuffed roti ($7.50), lamb roti ($9.95),  hot chili chicken ($9.95) and chicken chow-chow ($8), a Tibetan-style stir-fried noodle dish. Among the other Indian dishes are baigan bhartha, or roasted eggplant ($8.95), fiery chicken vindaloo ($10.95) and shrimp shahi korma ($11.95). (As with Indian food, beer is a better match for Nepali and Tibetan fare than wine.)

For the indecisive, Namaste offers several thali (combination platters), including the "non-veggie thali ($16.95). Nepali menus are divided into "vegetarian" and "non-vegetarian" dishes; Westerner eateries tend to divide menus into "meat" and "meatless."

For a sweet conclusion, we ordered rose lassi ($2.95) and pistachio kulfi ($2). the lassi is a refreshing, cool, yogurt smoothie with a floral hint. Kulfi is the dense Indian iced dessert, bright green, topped with ground pistachios and not especially sweet.

Nepali-born owners Purna and Hari Garung have created a comforable, family-friendly oasis tucked away in the back of Mission Trace Shopping Center. Developed in the shadows of the Himalayas, affordable Nepali cuisine seems ideally suited for munching here on the edge of the Rockies.

Contact John Lehndorff at (303) 892-5103 or lehdorffj@RockyMountainNews.com