The Nepali Kitchen offers low tables and tatami with lots of soft, brightly colored cushions for guests with a taste of Asian mystique. [Photo/Gao Erqiang / China Daily]

Shanghai

A little Nepali restaurant attracts a mixed crowd of young, hip locals and expatriates with its eclectic culinary mix. Li Xinzhu tastes the exotic.

The strong scent of lamb wafts out to Julu Road, a street crowded with restaurants offering a world of choices. But amid the Italian and French restaurants, one little Nepali restaurant is standing out.

Apart from the novelty of its cuisine, the Nepali Kitchen has withstood the test of time by surviving almost 10 years in a city of fickle taste buds. In a quiet corner in Jin'an district, this small elegant restaurant has carved out a market niche.

You do have to keep a sharp eye out for it as its narrow two-leafed door is quite easily missed.

The owner Kanchha Ghale is a young Nepali in his 30s, but he has already chalked up experience running a business in Taiwan. He turned his attention to Shanghai years ago.

"I guess he probably prefers the business environment in Shanghai," says D. B. Lama, the manager of the restaurant who has worked with Ghale for more than seven years.

The restaurant offers two different types of seating for about 100 diners, with low tables and cane chairs, and tatami with soft and colorful cushions. It is an exotic locale which attracts the younger generation as well as expatriates with a taste of Asian mystique.

"I just love the whole atmosphere of the restaurant," says Wang Min, a 26- year-old college lecturer. "A Spanish friend brought me here once and I fell in love with this place."

Wang says she prefers to lounge in the corner and enjoy dinner with close friends in the dim light. And, she also has a few recommendations.

Must-order dishes include Nepalese yogurt, a special homemade product that has peanut and fresh fruit mixed in. Another popular choice is the juicy braised lamb ribs, which is the restaurant's signature dish.

The menu at Nepali Kitchen is in three languages - Nepali, English and Chinese. But it may still need some interpretation, as certain dishes are called Kathmandu Salad or Sagarmatha Salad.

"Those are geographical names in Nepal," says Lama, who likes to enlighten curious customers. "We thought anyone who had visited Nepal would recognize the names, and look back with pleasure and remember the good times they had visiting our country."

But no matter how good the memories are, or how warm the service, the crux of the matter is still how good the food is.

"All ingredients we use are from the local market," says the manager. "But the spices we use are brought back by the owner from Nepal, because those are uniquely Nepali."

Another huge attraction is the special dessert created by the chef - the Everest Inferno - an ice cream piled over brandy-soaked sponge with mixed fruits and topped with meringue. It is served flambed with brandy, and the taste is as amazing as it is impressive.