YAK YETI YAK, 14 ARGYLE STREET

The restaurant opened in early 2004 and is a family run business offering Nepalese food.  Access from Argyle Street is down numerous of flights of stairs, although they do have a street level entrance from Spring Gardens, which is under the archway near Pultney Weir (accessed by going down numerous flights of steps, so it’s difficult whichever way for those with mobility problems).

Once in the restaurant you are met with the pleasant smell of incense and a friendly waiter. The restaurant is agreeably simple, having plain tables covered in an easy-wipe tablecloth, painted rough stone walls and a nice, unaffected atmosphere. The only pointer to something different is a small area where you can sit on cushions rather than chairs, if you are supple enough. Apart from this area, it seats about 30, unless there is another room I couldn’t see.

The menu is Nepalese (apart from Paprika Chicken for non-believers!), which is a pleasant change from the normal high street curry-house list. There is a good list of starters (eight), but the main dishes are limited once you realise that a number are the same except for the type of meat.

We had the traditional Nepalese dish of Momo (steamed dumplings of spiced pork) to start, plus Melekhu Macha (spiced deep-fried salmon chunks). The Momos were about eight small dumplings, slightly heavy but quite tasty, the salmon (half a dozen sizeable chunks) was delicious – crisply fried, delicately spiced and very moorish. Both were served with homemade chutneys – a hemp seed chutney with the Momo and a different one with the salmon, which had a ‘difficult to place’ taste.

We followed with a variety of main dishes, both chicken and vegetable - Kukhurako Bhutuwa (pieces of spiced chicken stir-fried with tomato, onion, garlic and ginger), Khursani Kukura (marinated chicken stir-fried with green chilli, tomato and spring onions), Aloo Tamar (fermented bamboo shoots stir-fried with potato and black-eyed beans), Bakula Banda (broad beans and white cabbage stir-fried with spices), Maaska Dal (spiced split black lentils with herbs), Chamsur Sag (spinach and watercress stir-fried with spices and herbs) and Hario Simi Ra Aloo (green beans and new potatoes cooked with spices). It proved a good selection, and all were delicious, different and very fresh-tasting. All except the Khursi Kukura were fairly mild and delicately spiced, although the menu does say that you can ask for extra chillis if you want it hotter. The Khursi Kukura didn’t need them!  Apart from the Maaska Dal, which was a bit too smooth and ‘buttery’ in flavour for me, all were greatly enjoyed by the three of us. The dishes were accompanied by some natural yoghurt and some more of their unusual home made chutney.

The food was served in small silver-coloured pots, and the plates were also silver coloured. At first sight the portions looked fairly small, but the little pots hold more than you think and so were quite sufficient. My wife even had a dessert of creamed saffron yoghurt with marinated oranges, which she declared was also delicious (she was firstly tempted to the unusual sounding spiced tea ice-cream, but they had run out).

Prices were very reasonable (the dearest vegetable dish was £3.50), and the service unhurried yet attentive and very friendly.

Despite the slightly naff name it was a splendid little restaurant and we all thought it an excellent meal – pleasant, delicately spiced different food in homely unpretentious but comfortable surroundings. I’d go back any day, despite the limited menu.

Malcolm Wilkins – April 2005