Curry and Kabob Brings Nepalese To Columbia (With Indian As Well If You're Branching Out)

Chicken thali at Curry and Kabob

You gotta get to Wilde Lake because this Nepalese food isn't going to eat itself.

Curry and Kabob opened last month in Columbia with a new contribution to Howard County -- a Nepalese menu on top of a northern Indian mix of naan, tandoori and curries.

We went last night, and it's a talented kitchen in a personable restaurant.  Nepalese -- at least to a foreigner's palate -- tastes like a cousin of Indian food.  There are some dumplings and the option for goat, but these are dishes welcome to anyone who likes Indian, plus a twist.

Momos

Our table at Curry & Kabob was a real twist.  We started with momos, a steamed dumpling with chicken, vegetables and spices.  They come with a deliciously spicy sauce that looks like tomato.  We kept more than half to save stomach space.

For the main course, we split two.  We went vegetarian for dhajara aalu, a dish made with potatoes and thin-sliced radish.  The radishes were apparently dried, then cooked back tender with the potatoes and a thick sauce.  We went flashy with the chicken thali, a metal tray with rice and a half-dozen small dishes.  Chicken, lentils, two different vegetables, yogurt and rice pudding for dessert.

Each dish showed off the kitchen's skill.  I almost passed on the thali because it had "mixed vegetables," but those turned out to be sautéed watercress with a light sauce.  They contrasted with the earthiness of the lentils and the mushroom-potato-pea curry.

We eat a bunch of Indian.  We love places like Royal Taj and Mango Grove.  But there is a frisson with something new.  Just the lentils were different and interesting.  The radish was spicy and beautifully tender, and I've never seen anything similar.  Go for the new stuff like goat curries and Nepalese vegetables, but be confident that you can order from a full Indian menu like samosas, curries, and tandoori specials.

Now go!  These were wonderful folks at Curry & Kabob.  They chatted us all night.  They explained dishes.  At the end, they asked us to send our friends.  It's a new place, and it's a tough place to run a business since that isn't the business shopping center.  So go!

For more suggestions, check out the comments on yesterday's post.  Curry & Kabob has a lunch buffet, and Clayton recommend a goat curry.  Does anyone know "dhedo?"  The waiter described it as mashed grains.  It comes on some thali variations, and I want to try next time.

Curry & Kabob Restaurant
10451 Twin River Road
Columbia, MD-21044
410-715-8777

NEAR: Curry & Kabob is in the Wilde Lake village center. This is just west of the Columbia Mall. Twin River Road comes off Governor Warfield Parkway and runs into Wilde Lake. The shopping center is on the left.  Curry & Kabob is a few doors down from the Melting Pot and the Bagel Bin.