Page 97 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 4 | April - May 2024

BANGLADESHI
Bangla House

Like so many other regional cuisines, if you want to truly experience
the traditional flavours of Bangladeshi food, it has to come from
a Bangladeshi kitchen. If you don’t know how to cook it yourself
or have family or friends who do, it’s going to be a near-herculean
task to have proper Bangladeshi food in Bangkok. So, what’s the
next best thing? Find a restaurant that appeals to foodies without
the bells and whistles, such as Bangla House, which is not only
worth mentioning, but should deservedly be placed on blast for
the entire city to enjoy. In fact, some Bangladeshi expats have
claimed that it feels like a home away from home.

Bangla House not only provides authentic Bangladeshi cuisine, but
it also offers homemade dishes from Myanmar and Ethiopia, and
they even have Thai food on the menu. Why that combination?
My friends and I never asked; we simply enjoy. Bangladeshi
cuisine has a rich legacy of Mughlai, Turkish, and Middle Eastern
influences; delectable and diverse, packed with bursting flavours
and ingredients, just a tad spicier than the rest. While there are
influences from various regions within Bangladesh, I would
recommend some of the more popular dishes. Bangla House does
exceptionally well, such as its Kichuri, Beef curry, Mutton biryani,
and Aloo paratha, among other mouth-watering fish dishes on the
menu. It wouldn’t be Bangladeshi food without the fish.

Bangla House is located in Soi Pha Suk, branching off Sukhumvit
Soi 1, and is open daily from 7.30am to 1am.
Facebook: @banglahousebangkok

Pictures of dishes not taken from restaurant.
NEPALESE
Himalaya Restaurant

Himalayan cuisine focuses on dishes from Nepal, Bhutan
and Kashmir, with an abundance of vegetarian options. The
Northeastern parts of South Asia, and Nepal as a whole, use plenty
of well-known spices, but the cooking technique comes from the
Tibetan and Chinese sides. Depending on the altitude, some
people consume a large amount of pork, beef, and yak meat, and
they are generous with the chilli levels. How generous? Have you
ever heard of Nagaland in northeast India, home to the infamous
ghost pepper which once topped the Guinness World Records
hottest chilli list? Naga chilli is commonly used in cooking beef
and made slightly bearable with potatoes and accompanied with
fermented rice or bamboo.

However, at Himalaya Restaurant in Bangkok, the Nepalese
dishes are a bit more palatable and slightly easier to digest. There
are familiar items on the menu that the Nepalese have put their
twist on, by way of Tibet, including steaming-hot momos served
in multiple ways and stuffed with various proteins and veggies,
with a selection of delicious sauces. It’ll make your mouth water
just by taking a glance at the restaurant’s momo menu. Equally
impressive are its vegetarian options, such as the Badam sadeko
or Aloo achar. No matter the dish, you’ll sense the spirit of the
Northeast, as both the interior and the aroma from the kitchen
will transport you to the hillside neighbourhoods of Nepal, Tibet,
Darjeeling and Kashmir.

Open from 11am to 11.30pm, you can visit Himalaya Restaurant
at 112/6 Ratchaprarop Road in Ratchathewi
Facebook: @himalaya.restaurant

WWW.MASALATHAI.COM | 97