Pasang Sherpa grew up in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal, in the shadow of mountains that make the San Gabriel range look like suggestions. He came to Los Angeles and saw an absence: nobody was cooking the food he grew up with.
Himalayan Kitchen opened in 2015 on Alameda Avenue and immediately introduced Burbank to momos -- hand-folded Nepali dumplings filled with spiced chicken or seasoned vegetables, served with a tomato-based chutney and a sesame-chili dipping sauce that is significantly hotter than it appears. The dal bhat thali is the restaurant's most complete statement: lentil soup, rice, seasonal vegetable curry, pickle, and papadum, with unlimited dal and rice refills. It is among the most satisfying meals available in Burbank for under $20.
The lamb sekuwa -- Nepali-style grilled lamb skewers with timur, the Szechuan pepper of the Himalayas -- is the dish that rewards the adventurous. Himalayan Kitchen is a genuinely new flavor experience in a city that has seen most of them.
