KATHMANDU LOUNGE REVIEW

Kathmandu Lounge may be one of the new kids on the block in Peterborough city centre, but it has bags of culinary experience when it comes to pleasing diners.

ESP food writer Kelly Jackson was invited to sample its offering, which is inspired by the streets of Nepal and India…

The new, fine-dining restaurant opened its doors on Church Street in the former Yorkshire Bank building several weeks ago. Since then, owner Kris – who also owns the popular Gurkha Lounge in Hampton – says it’s proved popular and is especially busy at weekends and evenings.

To get a taste for the variety of dishes at Kathmandu Lounge, we chose a selection of different starters. The menu has a column for special starters which are separate from other starters. Kris explained that these are unique to the restaurant, whereas the standard starters are typical of what can be found in an Indian restaurant.

So, with this in mind, I opted for several of the special starters including Saffron Tikka (marinated chicken breast in spices including saffron, cardamom, cheese and served with saffron mint sauce), Cheesy Chicken Kebab (chicken mince, cheese and chilli straight from the clay oven), Honey Roast Lamb (a lightly spiced chargrilled lamb with a touch of honey) and Chilli Lime King Prawns (cooked in the clay oven and served with garlic mango sauce). We also had a chicken Momo – a classic dish found in Nepal and popular in many similar restaurants.

The food arrived fantastically presented and almost looked too lovely to touch – but that didn’t stop us from diving in! I wasn’t expecting the hint of cheese in the Saffron Tikka, which for a cheese lover, was a great surprise.

The lamb was tender and tasty. All the starters were high quality, packed with fresh ingredients and cooked to order. The chefs can reduce the spiciness of any of the dishes on the menu, so don’t let the number of chillies next to the food stop you from ordering.

For our mains, we opted for Timure Chicken (a unique blend of spices cooked with boneless chicken and a hint of Sichuan pepper) – I asked them to reduce the spice on this one – and Garlic Lamb Cashew Delight (boneless lamb cooked with a blend of garlic, chilli and cashew nuts).

Both dishes are unique to Kathmandu Lounge – you’ll find many unique creations, which is one of its unique selling points.

You’ll find classic mains also available, including Tikka Masala and Korma, side dishes such as rice and naan bread, and a children’s menu (worth looking at even if you’re not dining with children!) with options ranging from chicken nuggets and chips and chicken curry and rice. Options are also available for gluten free, vegan and vegetarian diners.

Nothing is off the menu at Kathmandu Lounge. The food is bursting with flavour, is cooked to perfection and the welcoming atmosphere is the icing on the cake.

Kathmandu Lounge is open 12 noon to 11pm, and you can currently get 20% off lunch on the a la carte menu until 2.30pm.

You can book online at www.kathmandulounge.com