The chef at Himalayan Bistro is a true master of the tandoor. The tandoori mixed grill ($16.95) is one of the most impressive in Boston. Even served on a sizzling platter, the tandoori salmon ($13.95) was not overcooked. The chicken tandoori ($10.95/half; $20.95/full) was one of the most tender and delicious I’ve ever had. And the “seekh kebab” ($11.95) sausage was very, very good, as were the lamb kebab ($12.95), marinated chicken tikka ($11.95), and shrimp ($13.95). Gilding these lilies was a tomato-cream sauce: both rich and a little sharp.
With tandoori dishes, bread works better than rice, and the “plain” bread basket was a nice combination of puffed-up poori, buttery plain naan, and garlic naan with some herbs.
To get a better sense of their Indian food, I went back for the buffet lunch ($7.95). The only Nepali item was Himalayan salad: a sort of crunchier salad Russe, minus the beets. The other ringer was a copper warming platter of “pasta”: elbow macaroni with tomato sauce. I refuse to believe this is Indian or Nepali food, but it’s another option for families. (My children were exposed to a lot of ethnic restaurants but, because of the spices, they retained a considerable resistance to Thai and Indian food until their late teens.)
Also on the buffet table: thick vegetable curry (with more beans and potatoes than most, and served with the same tomato sauce used on the tandoori dishes); peas and homemade cheese; chicken “tikka masala” (in a creamier tomato sauce); beef “bhuna” (in an unusual gravy with dry spices); chicken tandoori (average, as it had been sitting out on a buffet); rice, similar to the type served at dinner; mild lentil-pea soup; and rice pudding for dessert.
Without beer or wine, we are thrown back to water — frequently refilled — or lassi (yogurt drinks). The mango lassi ($2.99) is irresistible, but perhaps it should be left for dessert, as it is quite sweet. Himalayan “masala chiya” ($2.50) is milder and less creamy than most chai and rather good with these desserts, as is the American coffee ($1.50).
Desserts look like the usual suspects, but several were well above average, especially the “rasmalai” ($3.25), which were, for once, genuinely interesting white cheese cakes. The spicing and frosting on the “Guzarko haluwa” ($3.25) made it more like carrot cake than the usual dense, sweet carrot dessert of Indian cuisine. The dinner “kheer” ($3.25), with raisins and nuts as well as cardamom flavoring, is very good rice pudding, and the “kulfi badam pista” ($2.95) is richer and less icy than many of these pistachio/cardamom ice creams.
Service was excellent on non-crowded weekday and weeknight visits. There isn’t a lot of Asian food in West Roxbury, and the young crowd that will take over this restaurant hasn’t arrived yet. At that point, the large room with reflective services may get a little loud.
Himalayan Bistro, 1735 Centre Street, West Roxbury | AE, DI, MC, VI | Open daily, 11 am–11 pm | No liquor | No valet parking | Sidewalk-level access | 617.325.3500
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Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com.
