Welcome back to another installment of Ethnic Eating Adventures, in which we travel far and wide to discover the hidden culinary delights of New York City. Today, we're heading to Jackson Heights for some Tibetan delights at Himalayan Yak.
First things first when it comes to Himalayan Yak: it's tough to actually get yak meat there. Despite a website claiming they serve it, at various visits, we've been told that they never have the meat or it's temporarily unavailable (unless you bring your own). Move past this minor setback, however, and you'll be rewarded with a trifecta of cuisines, Tibetan, Nepali and Indian, in what is actually one of the loveliest dining rooms in all of Jackson Heights.
Start with an order of momo ($8.99), plump, round Himalayan dumplings stuffed to the gills with beef (or chicken, pork, or veg) and steamed, nearly bursting with juice at the seams. They're hearty and chewy, and more filling than their Chinese dumpling counterparts. Then move on to the Tibetan thenthuk ($7.99), a giant bowl of noodle soup with hand-pulled flat noodles, slightly rough at the edges, mixed with green vegetables and hunks of meat, floating in a ginger-tinged broth. And for maximum variety, get a Nepali thali ($8.99-10.99), a literal silver platter with a combination of meat, rice, dal (lentil soup), punchy saag (mustard), vegetable curry, crispy papad, mixed mula achar (pickle) and cooling yogurt.
There's an entire vegetarian menu to appease non meat-eaters, and some treats for more adventurous eaters, like stir-fried goat intestines. Do challenge your tastebuds to a cup of bocha, pungent Tibetan tea that's infused with butter and salt (in Tibet, it's done with yak butter). Then sit back in the cavernous, low-lit Yak confines and enjoy the live Himalayan music that plays nightly.
