Yesterday I was lucky enough to have lunch with a couple of friends at a very interesting place called Tibet Nepal House in Pasadena, California. It offers Himalayan cuisine and is located on a little, out-of-the-way side street in Old Town Pasadena. This is just the kind of area you can walk right past a thousand times and never notice, so I am very happy that my friends told me about it. I guarantee though, once you have been there, you will not easily forget it.

A very enticing aroma and a huge Buddha head fountain with what appears to by dry ice giving it a mystic foggy feel immediately greet you as you walk in the door. There is also what I am assuming is Tibetan music playing in the background and the entire place in decorated with pictures of Tibet, images of Buddhism and even a few pictures of the Dali Lama. I had to wait a few minutes for my friends to arrive but there was so much to look at that I was not bored one second.

We were there at about 1 pm for lunchtime and were welcomed with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Not typical for Old Town Pasadena. Another thing not typical of the area was the price. An all-you-can-eat buffet in a nice sit-down restaurant in this part of town for under $10 per person is not very common nowadays.

The food was very interesting. Although at first glance I would have enjoyed a larger variety, it turned out to be just right. There were a couple of vegetarian dishes, some curry-like sauces, soup, white rice, a type of curry cabbage, a couple of chicken dishes, salads and rice pudding for dessert. Personally, I enjoyed being there and eating the food tremendously. I can admit, however, that the extent to your enjoyment will most likely depend on your tastes. I consider myself a somewhat adventurous person and enjoy trying new things. If you do not, you might want to stick with the rice and salad.

And if for any reason the buffet doesn’t seem to your liking, you can always order from their menu. The dishes on their menu range from $5.00-$10.00 for appetizers and $7.00-$16.00 for entrees. By the way, I recommend a dessert called Mt. Everest in a blanket. It is very good.

Before I wrap this up, I should mention that while visiting their web site, I learned that the restaurant won the Best Buffet in Pasadena in 2005 and that their chef, Karma Tenzing Bhotia, is somewhat famous for his gourmet cookery. For more information, check out their web site at: http://www.TibetNepalHouse.com or just stop by at: 36 E Holly St. Pasadena, CA 91103. Enjoy!