Khampa Kitchen Inn

TIBET 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿

Besides some words on an area message board, Khampa Kitchen has lived most of its year of life relatively quietly. The dining room offers the same thing, separated from noisy Roosevelt Avenue and the 7 train above by a small room that acts as a vestibule. Half of this space is dedicated to jewelry and other handicrafts in a room that can be unlocked by the proprietor if you wish to see more.

But head on towards the smells coming from the kitchen, named for the people and region that spanned Eastern Tibet and Western Sichuan but today is just grouped in with the rest of Tibet. This was not always the case, as they speak a different language and have different customs than the Tibetans from Lhasa.

As if to just make sure customers coming in for generalized Tibetan food, whatever that is, will not be disappointed, the menu is full of decently executed dishes like chicken momos ($6.99, above), These have a thicker than normal wrapping, are full of the usual spices, and certainly enjoyable.

But we are in Khampa Kitchen Inn, after all, so it is worth getting familiar with the people and some of their unique contributions. Any scholar of the 1959 Tibetan uprising will know the region of Kham and its people had a very different role to play in the events leading up to it, differences that today might be erased by usage of "Tibetan" for an entire region and people.

One easy way to see this through cuisine is with the paoze ($11.99, above), similar in shape to the momo but made with a wrapper closer in flavor and texture to tingmo (called trinmo here). These are traditionally served with a flavorless bowl of rice soup. Khampa horsemen would traditionally eat these with yak meat, but here in Queens they are available in vegetable, pork, chicken, or beef versions.

Also highly recommended by the Khampa server was fried beef ribs ($10.99, below), heavily fatty chunks of bone-on meat flavored with oils and dried chili peppers. While it takes a while to eat, this dish is full of distinct flavors and worth the effort.

Another stand out Khampa dish is the beef with green pepper ($9.99, above), which is also served with a fresh and hot piece of trinmo. This is another Himalayan dish that uses chili peppers as the vegetable rather than chopped up for spice, so be prepared for a little sweat to start on your brow.

A good pairing for all the spice about to be in your life is a nice bowl of bhoethuk, a thick noodle soup here called Lhasa noodle ($6.99, below). This is only served with beef, a theme of dishes here as it probably remains the closest option to replicate yak, with a subtle beef broth. Throw in a little bit of the chili oil, but keep this as your safe place when your eyes are tearing up with other dishes.

One very unique dish, and an introduction to what may be presented on special occasions, is Khampa poethek ($12.99, above and below), a kind of meat pie that will require about a 30 minute lead time. The beautifully made pastry will arrive with the top already cut, but this would normally happen after everyone was seated.

If you were the guest of honor at someone's house, the top piece would be used as a little plate. The fillings, here seen with beef, would be piled high on the crisp disc and handed to whomever would be the person to impress.

Presented to the guest of honor.

With excellent hospitality and obvious pride in their cuisine, it is not too much of a stretch to imagine your group as the guests of honor after a feast here at Khampa Kitchen Inn.

🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿

JACKSON HEIGHTS Queens
75-15 Roosevelt Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Weekender Billiard

BHUTAN 🇧🇹

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

From the outset, Pema Gyeltshen, the co-owner of Weekender Billiard, got his ratios wrong. When he opened his snooker hall in 2014, four of the larger-than-billiard tables filled the space with a kitchen and a few dining tables placed as an afterthought. Over time, one snooker table was removed in favor of more space for dining customers, and then another. Now the space is almost evenly cut in half: two snooker tables for gaming on one side, and about a dozen dinner tables for satisfying the demands of the many regular customers on the other.

Over a cup of his homemade and probably best-in-the-borough butter tea, Pema told me about his casual relationship with snooker, a game very popular back home. The decision to open Weekender as a gaming location with his cousin Lhendup Zangmo and her husband, Jamyang Tsultrim, who is from Tibet, mostly stemmed from not wanting to make people wait for their meals without something to do.

“Our food takes longer to prepare than most,” he explained simply.

Shamu datse and ema datse. Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

But based on the constant stream of business in evidence whenever the restaurant is open, most do not mind the wait even if they have no idea how snooker works.

Amateur billiards players will often boast that somewhere between their second and fourth beer, their game is at its peak. But you will not often find the players here with beers because snooker is not a game for the drunk: The pockets are so much smaller than billiards and the distances to them longer. As a result, most people have that butter tea or possibly a can of Red Bull. The tables are often empty during weekdays, but on the weekend (as the name of the place suggests), you will probably have a bit of a wait for one of the $13/hour tables. This is also the time you may find an impromptu jam session breaking out on Weekender’s stage if people have brought their instruments and have a beer or two.

When the snooker hall is open, the kitchen is too, but from the street you might think you have arrived before opening time. Unless it is dark out, the tinted windows almost obscure everything within, and heavy drapes sometimes block the rest. But if the metal gate is up, be confident you can swing open the dark, heavy wooden door and come inside.

Phagsha sikam pak. Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

Chef Norbu Gyeltshen (no relation to Pema) is from Tibet, the place in South Asia that most closely resembles Bhutanese culture and language. Since the Bhutanese community in New York City is much smaller than the Tibetan one, the menu here (and the awning outside) caters to both. Furthering the family-owned feel of Weekender is Pema’s sister Jigme, who can be found here often but also helps out in the kitchen when dinner crowds start to overwhelm the chef.

Many folks who did not grow up in the high elevations of the Himalayas and who may have done a Google search before coming for this new food will veer towards the list of datse. The dish ema datse, a combination of chilis and cheese, is even said to be the national dish. It is wonderful here in all its fiery glory, but during one of my first visits, Pema set me straight when we talked about a typical meal and what needed to be ordered. On the menu underneath these datse—which can be eaten also with potato, mushroom, beef or pork—is listed the phagsha sikam pak (above). It is this dish of which he spoke most highly and said could not be missed.

“This is the real Bhutanese food,” Pema explained.

Jasha maroo centers a Bhutanese feast. Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

And most real Bhutanese food of any variety must be eaten with the country’s unique semi-milled red rice, which grows at the high elevations. Eue chum has an earthy, nutty taste to it, and will be your only relief during the meal if you have trouble with spicy foods. The phagsha sikam pak, a dish of thick stir-fried pork belly slices, is laced with red pepper and served with vegetables or beans. This “dry” style of meat is also available with beef or fish.

In addition to the rice, Weekender now has bottled beer in its fridge, which can help with the heat of its dishes. In the beginning the word “bar” on the awning was more an aspiration, but even now I do not see many people drinking alcohol except on weekends. Instead, they are hovering over bowls of bathup, a complex meat-of-your-choice soup that is full of thick hand-cut noodles and runs an orange-red color thanks to the peppers used to make the broth. You will rarely find diners here alone; rather, groups of young and old Bhutanese and Tibetans have full tables of food like jasha maroo (above), another spicy dish that could translate as Bhutanese chicken stew, and bumthang putang (below), buckwheat noodles that probably could be categorized as an acquired taste. If people do come solo, they usually grab a quick order for takeout and chat with Pema or Jamyang while waiting.

Bumthang putang. Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

Crossover dishes eaten in both Bhutan and Tibet like momos and chicken and beef chilly are found in the appetizers section and make an appearance at most tables no matter who the diners may be.

The atmosphere here might not earn any stars from food critics, but for my taste it is hard to beat. Like other favorites around the city, it knows who it is and focuses in on that. Besides serving wonderful food, Weekender feels like the place Bhutanese people in Queens come to interact and feel community. The flag is on the wall and some tourism posters surround the dining room, but the people make it more than that. As guests from places other than the Himalayas contemplate why Bhutanese food is so spicy and uses so much cheese, regulars and staff here will be happy to welcome you in and divulge these and other secrets.

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WOODSIDE Queens

41-46 54th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

[CLOSED] Phurya

TIBET

[UPDATE: CLOSED]

The name of this restaurant literally translates "to fly," but when we pressed a bit further it sounded as if the word was slightly deeper. Somehow our best guess is there is a little "follow your dreams" in that word as well. The owners and chefs here following their dreams are from Tibet, but much like a certain Burmese chef we love in Brooklyn have devoted a big portion of their menu to Japanese sushi rolls to make sure they can cash in on that Seamless money in a neighborhood not accustomed to Himalayan food just yet.

Steamed vegetable momos ($8)

Fried beef momos ($9)

Tops from this first meal was a really tasty chicken thenthuk ($8, below), the typically Tibetan shaved noodle soup.

Tingmo ($2)

Phurya spicy beef ($10.75)

Shak trak ($9)

It is nice to see this cuisine expanding to other areas, although if truth be told the recipes are not quite up to par with Jackson Heights just yet. Keep flying Phurya!

(Tibet flag emojis)

RIDGEWOOD Queens

54-58 Myrtle Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Little Tibet

TIBET

There is such a high concentration of Himalayan restaurants around the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave station that you would think some would just not hold their weight, but so many talented chefs are proving this to be wrong. Most of the restaurants are pretty small but perpetually busy. Little Tibet is just a bit of a more formal affair, and even has beer and wine unlike many of the other restaurants, making it one of the more cozy spots to bring a group for dinner.

For a couple years now, my meals here have been plan B's, when another place was closed or sold out of food, etc. That being said, the food is better than a plan B, the restaurant is an A. These choices just prove it is an easy and reliable environment.

The picture above was taken last winter, but the season is about the same now, making Tibetan soups an important part of a warming meal. On the days where it is hard to decide between a soup and a plate of those famous momos, Little Tibet has a solution for that. Mokthug ($7.95, below) puts the small beef momos into a cloudy beef broth soup.

This soup has the hearty taste of bone in it and is wonderfully paired or soaked up with an order of fluffy tingmo.

Highly recommended here is the excellent version of chura khatsa ($8.95, below), fried cubes of cheese with a covering of chili sauce. This is a good dish to share, but go in quick because you are going to want to keep it all to yourself. The dense texture of the cheese is wonderful. Ask for it spicy, as the dish is meant to be.

The spicy sauce is so good here that an order of the c/momo ($8.95, below) is also a good call. You can ask for beef, chicken, or vegetarian momos, which all pair nice with the "chilly" sauce as they call it. Of course with a group you will be able to sample all the different varieties if desired, as well as some of the other fiery fare.

I have noticed that they seem hesitant to raise the heat levels with non-Himalayans, so be direct in asking for the spice you want.

As stated earlier, beer and wine is available here. They have a list of New York craft beers that changes periodically and is a welcome sight to those wanting to try IPAs and porters with their momos rather than a Heineken.

[Tibet flag emojis]

JACKSON HEIGHTS Queens

72-19 Roosevelt Avenue

Spicy Tibet

TIBET

Back at the end of 2014, the owners of Friends Corner Cafe needed more space for their popular restaurant and decided to open up another shop on Roosevelt Avenue. Ever since, with a slightly expanded menu, Spicy Tibet has had most of its tables full no matter what time of day. As temperatures drop close to freezing, soups become necessary, and Tibetan soups are some of the most warming in the world.

But start the meal of course with a plate of vegetable momos ($5.99, below). Make sure to find a bottle of the orange momo sauce if it is not already on your table. They have meat varieties as well, but sometimes the vegetarian options have better spices inside.

Gya thug ($6.99, below) more than any other soup just looks like it will warm you up. This type of thukpa, or Tibetan noodle soup, is named for the Chinese noodles it uses. Meat and vegetables are combined with "Himalayan herbs and spices" in a hearty broth.

Then thug ($6.99, below), always uses hand-pulled or sliced noodles that are guaranteed to be fresh and homemade. Tibetan soups can sometimes be more bland than their Nepalese companions, but throw in some extra red pepper sauce if you want. Grab a piece of tingmo ($1, below background) if you are the type that likes to dip breads into soup.

This area of Jackson Heights is known for its Himalayan takeover of the last decade or more, and the options are staggering. Because there are so many people in the community, the level of quality of most places is very high. The value at places like Spicy Tibet is almost ridiculous.

[Tibet Flag Emojis]

JACKSON HEIGHTS Queens

75-04 Roosevelt Avenue

Kanchanjunga Restaurant

NEPAL 🇳🇵
TIBET

The namesake mountain that is drawn in the logo of this restaurant lives partly in the far east of Nepal and partly in the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim. When I asked the owner, she simply said it was in Nepal. An Indian answer may have been the reverse despite there being no border disputes in the area. Either way, this lesser known brother of Everest is the third highest peak in the world and certainly worthy of its own restaurant in Jackson Heights.

As the mountain straddles a border, so does the cuisine, with the menu reading as much Tibetan as it does Nepalese. The awning and menu say "Taste of Himalaya" and maybe this is more accurate, as the cuisines always overlap.

Inside the restaurant, which has been home to a rotating list of other quick Himalayan joints, things seem more settled and welcoming. The dining room has been expanded from previous iterations and there is time to sit down with friends and take in a meal. Dark colors surround you on the walls, while nondescript cheap tables become background to the flags and fabrics of the Himalayas.

Dining alone, a modest bowl of noodles was ordered at the outset. Thenthuk ($7, above) has always been a favorite, a mild soup that focuses on its biggest asset: the handmade noodles. This version uses wide wedges and came with beef cuts of similar size.

Nepalese thukpa is somewhat similar, but bowls of Tibetan thenthuk can almost outnumber bowls of the native, spicier soup because of high numbers of Tibetan refugees in Nepal now. Since thenthuk does not have the chilis that thukpa automatically comes with, sauces are offered. The waitress asked if two were desired but turned around and fetched them before she got an answer, knowing the right answer was yes.

The spiciest sauce is already on the table and should be handled with caution. Nepalese cuisine is decidedly fiery, and this stuff was causing the two Himalayans eating momos when I came in to cough uncontrollably. It really only carries the "flavor" of spiciness though, and nothing more. A small drop or two into the soup was enough to add quite a bit of heat.

The two bottles brought from the fridge were the medium and mild versions, seen in the background of the above and below photos. The deliciousness of the sauces seems to go in reverse though, with the mildest tasting the best.

The food here was hearty and good, not yet at the level of knock your socks off. The khaki meal continued with an order of chicken momos ($6, above), not so much because there was hunger as there was a desire to use the other sauces. After a few tries with different combinations, the best seemed to be slathering on the great mild orange sauce and then adding a squirt of the red medium to each bite.

One stomach should have probably been too small for these two orders, but it pressed on regardless. As it reached its limit, a local man came in asking for a job, first in broken English, and then switching to a language everyone seemed to share. His information was left, and the newly installed television was tuned to a Himalayan music channel.

Nepalese sadheko and chili dishes were further down the menu but would have to wait until another day.

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JACKSON HEIGHTS Queens

72-24 Roosevelt Avenue

Punda Tibetan

TIBET

The Himalayan community of Queens seems to be expanding out of Jackson Heights and taking over some turf in Sunnyside. Last year another Tibetan restaurant opened on 47th Avenue eight blocks down, in addition to the Nepalese mainstay on Queens Boulevard. Punda is the latest place to give it a try, a proper sit down restaurant from the chef of popular takeout spot Gangjong on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.

The shop still has the smell of fresh paint and varnish, and unfortunately has no charm. Thankfully, with cooking this good, there should be plenty of time for that to change in the future. First and foremost, the momos here are off the charts, and come in a few options.

Beef momos ($7, above) are crescent shaped and appear more like their east Asian brothers. The pickled cabbage offers a sweet companion to your bites if you so desire, and the momo hot sauce is a must.

Chicken momos ($8, below) are the more typical round version you may be used to, and add $1 for any of your momos to be fried here. These guys got a round of ooohs and ahs from our table as we ate.

The group also ordered a plate of shabhalap ($7, below), a Tibetan patty stuffed in this iteration with meat but sometimes available with chicken or vegetables as well. The same dipping sauce is served with these, and inside to pair with your meat is added minced onion and coriander. I enjoyed the doughy crust and juicy interior combination.

When we brought in a couple six packs of beer (for now the bar here is unstocked and the place remains BYOB), our server recommended the chat phat ($7, below) for another appetizer we would enjoy. This is a crispy chicken dish (admittedly more crispy than chicken-y) that does qualify as South Asian bar food, greasy bits topped with onion, tomato, and green chili.

Our resident daal expert was enamored by the dal fry ($6, below), a simple dish on the small "Vegetable" section of the Indian page on the menu. The lentil-onion-tomato combination was spot on and seemed perfectly homemade.

After such a beginning, we all looked forward to our array of entrees, seen below:

Phing-sha ($9), Tibetan beef and potato stew with tingmo.

Shabtak ($9), spicy sliced beef with tingmo.

Langsha jintsel ($9), sliced beef with fresh celery.

Shabri sonam ($9), traditional Tibetan meatballs.

Ping-shogo ($7), vegetable stew with potatoes.

Tsampthuk ($7), barley soup, a Punda specialty.

SUNNYSIDE Queens

39-35 47th Avenue