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Walking into Himalaya, we noticed something a little different between this restaurant and most others we’d been to in Nanjing. The dining areas are beautiful. Don’t be fooled if you peek in the front window and see few customers, the waiters usually whisk the guests upstairs to where the vibrant red walls play off the dark woodwork of the tables and chairs. Colorful, but not distracting, lamps hang from the ceiling, and lively Nepalese music quietly plays over the restaurant’s sound system. The waiters and waitresses are all friendly and seem to have a good command of English, if your Chinese isn’t up to par.Not long after we took our seat at a low table, sitting on pillows on the floor with backrests, we agreed that this was the most relaxing restaurant we’d been to in Nanjing. The setting was nice, but if you’re tall or have long legs, you’ll probably want to pick a table with chairs. The restaurant is dark and quiet, and with good smells coming from the kitchen, the overall experience is incredibly relaxing.The menu has a lot of choices, many familiar from other Indian restaurants in Nanjing and yet, there were many things we didn’t recognize. It incorporates a decent vegetarian selection and the prices seem about right, most of the main dishes were priced from 30-40 yuan, though like any restaurant aimed at foreigners, the prices are higher than most Chinese restaurants.

The free Appetizer was a good start to the meal; they were small chips made out of a spicy dough or batter that recalls the flavor of a good vegetable samosa. One of the greatest surprises of our dinner was the masala tea, which some Americans might know as chai tea. The pot held enough for 3 or 4 cups for each of us. Smooth and sweet, each swallow ended with a touch of spice. The tea alone will make this restaurant a frequent stop on cold winter days.

As we enjoyed our tea and the atmosphere the waitress brought the appetizers, the Crispy Vegetable dish and the Himalayan Specialty Soup. The vegetables were not as crispy as the title makes them sound, but the flavor was exceptional. We noticed beans, carrots, cauliflower, and a number of other vegetables amid the sweet and tangy sauce. Surprisingly, for such a simple dish, the soup turned out to be one of our favorites. There was a blend of different beans in a flavorful broth that went well with our lightly-flavored cheese nan. Any South Asian restaurant worth its salt offers a variety of choices of nan, and Himalaya is no exception. We were impressed by the Cheese Nan, and imagine any of the other types would similarly satisfy. All are made fresh to order by a cook behind a window on the ground floor of the restaurant.

Presentation of the food is important at Himalaya. The Prawn Chilly and Lamb Sekuwa we were served were presented on a bed of lettuce decorated with a variety of vegetables, including what looked like butterflies made of radishes. The Prawn Chilly’s sauce was sweet and tangy, with just a hint of hot peppers, and it all tasted a bit like sweet and sour pork (gu lao rou). Unlike shrimp we’ve had in the US, the prawns tasted fresh, without a hint of the taste of seawater. We might not have even guessed that we were eating prawns if not for the name of the dish. The flavor was good, but it was too similar to that of the Crispy Vegetable dish. Both were good by themselves, but should be paired with other savory dishes from the menu.

The Lamb Sekuwa was nothing more than a number of large chunks of lightly-spiced boneless baked mutton. Some pieces were a bit tough to eat, but not enough to ruin the dish. A chutney of some sort would have gone well with the meat, but served alone it seemed a little lacking. Combining the meat with the Raita Salad, a cold cucumber and yogurt dish, worked well. The resulting flavor was not unlike a gyro or shawarma. If you’re not a fan of cucumbers, however, stay clear of the Raita Salad; cucumber taste dominates the soupy mixture.

Our meal, in short, was wonderful. The portions are big; shared between the two of us, we both got more than we could eat of each dish. The restaurant is a comfortable and pleasant place to spend and evening, and the food was good enough that we’ll be returning soon.

Be sure to check the address twice, because the restaurant is hard to find. It’s tucked away in the alley on Shigulu just southeast of the Sheraton, parrallel to HanZhong Road.

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