Nepal!

After a failed Italian Beef attempt at Ferrara's on Mayfield Road, we stumbled upon P. K. Curry House just down the street. They have a Nepali menu, so we decided to check a country off of the list AND fulfill our love of momos. This is the third week in a row that I've eaten a dumpling of some sort and I make no apologies for it. 

Based upon my research, it looks P.K. Curry House was opened as Kayal and possibly just in October (or they flew under the Yelp review radar until then...), but the name change happened and seems to have erased the bad reviews along with it.  

It's a tiny shop in a non-descript strip mall in Mayfield Heights. A steady flow of food delivery folks and call ahead customers came in and out while we checked out the large menu divided between Nepali and Indian dishes on the wall. In addition to the different types of momos on the Nepali menu, there were a couple appetizers and noodle dishes to choose. We stuck with our trusty Jhol Momo and Steamed Momo and also decided to try the Chatpate and Pani Puri from the appetizers menu. 

Order in, time to research! 

Nepal is located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by India and Tibet. As a result of its years of geographic and self-imposed isolation, Nepal is one of the least developed nations of the world. The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is said by the Sherpa to love the high snow mountains but has eluded discovery by several expeditions. Strange tracks are often found in the snow, but it is believed that they are probably made by bears. (By lame Yeti deniers, obviously.)

I found this opinion piece about Nepali food culture that gives some backstory to how the food culture has changed and been influenced by their Tibetan and Indian neighbors.


Dal-bhat-tarkari is eaten throughout Nepal. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices, bhat — usually rice but sometimes another grain — and a vegetable curry, tarkari. Momo is a Nepalese style dumpling filled with minced meat in a flour dough, given different shapes and then cooked by steaming. It is one of the most popular foods in Nepal. They were originally filled with buffalo meat but are now commonly filled with goat or chicken, as well as vegetarian preparations. Chow mein is a Nepali favorite and is one of the everyday staple lunches in Nepali households.

Time to eat!
(Disclaimer: these were take out orders and my photography skills were overridden by my hunger.)

We tried the chatpate first and despite ordering it at a medium spice level, this was almost unbearable even for a spice fan like me. I kept eating it though because the textures and flavors were amazing. It's made with puffed rice, dried instant noodles, chickpeas, fresh cilantro, tomato, cucumber, onion, potato, peas, lemon juice, fresh chili, and spice. The balance of crunchy, fresh, spicy, cool was a winning combination even though it required a few glasses of water, a runny nose, and some deep breaths to get through it.

Next up was pani puri which was a pleasant cool down from the chatpate. It's a deep-fried hollow flatbread that is filled with flavored water, tamarind chutney, chili powder, chaat masala, potato mash, onions, or chickpeas. These were crisp, fresh flavor bombs. I could have eaten all of them myself and gone back for more. They are addictive! It's a very popular Northern Indian street food and I can see why!

And for the dumplings portion of the meal, we had the Jhol Momos and Steamed Momos, both stuffed with chicken. They were well executed - doughy, full of flavor, and the jhol were spiced well. We ordered a medium spice level and I could have gone for hot on this dish. 

Jhol Momos

This was a really solid Nepali meal. I'll definitely go back - especially for that pani puri! 

15 down, 37 to go! 

P. K. Curry House

5850 Mayfield Road

Mayfield Heights, OH 44124

Website

Operating Hours:

WED - MON | 11:00 - 9:30pm