The competition amongst South Asian restaurants in Budapest is hotter than an extra spicy Vindaloo, so standing out from the crowd is hard work. Even when strolling down towards Lumbini we passed a handful of other restaurants offering cuisine from the subcontinent.
However, the tranquil establishment serves up something which isn’t just a restaurant and isn’t just a tea-house, but rather something much more than the sum of its parts.
With a Himalayan cuisine range, the menu is refreshingly diverse, offering Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian food. Understandably, with such an encompassing offering, trekking through the menu takes some time, but this is greatly appreciated when you find hidden delights. The interior is decked out in the style of the region, with Tibetan prayer flags and enticing pictures of Kathmandu’s temples. With soft red walls, dark wood tables and waiters who purr in soft tones (and excellent English) as they take your orders, you can’t help but enter a state of serenity.
Thus we were in a good state of mind to decide what to eat and started with vegetable momos (600 HUF), a type of doughy dumpling from Tibet stuffed with mixed green vegetables. They came on a bed of lettuce with a spicy Nepalese sauce. For our main dishes we opted for Veg Kofta and Dhal Bhat Tarkan Kukhrako Masu, with Aloo Paratha as a side. In our confusion/excitement/greed we somehow ended up with enough curry to take a whole school of children swimming in. The Veg Kofta (1,400 HUF) proved a reasonably sized choice and was made up of delicious, succulent vegetable-and-cheese balls – baked separately and then immersed in a creamy sauce. They were well made, breaking up nicely upon touch, while proving solid enough not to become soggy in the curry.
However we ran into „trouble” with the Dhal Bhat Tarkan Kukhrako Masu, which was, according to the menu, yellow lentils with chicken and Nepali spicy vegetables in tomato sauce. Our confusion lay with the word „with,” so rather than one dish we got a bowl of chicken curry, a bowl of yellow lentils and a bowl of Nepali spicy vegetables in tomato sauce. And, it also came with rice. Surprisingly it was only 1,800 HUF. It’s probably best to ask your friendly waiter what you’re going to get before it arrives on the table if you don’t want to be rolled home.
Luckily the food was delicious enough, and your trusted restaurant reviewers were greedy enough, to lick the plates, bowels and spoons clean. The best of the three was the Nepali vegetables; in what should serve as a lesson to all Hungarian restaurateurs, the vegetables were actually fresh and flavorful. We were so shocked we almost forgot to order dessert. But of course we have a duty to Funzine readers, so despite looking like we were ready to give birth to curry babies we opted for pistachio Kulfi (home made Indian ice cream) and Gulab Jamun, which positively bled syrup and melted like butter.
It was the tea house which seemed to be the most popular however, with regular customers chilling out and chatting away to the staff. They have white tea, green tea, red tea… endless varieties all arriving in earthenware teapots and cups. Luckily, the ever helpful waiters can advise you on the 50 different varieties available.
You can take your tea in the restaurant, but also drift into the curtained corner and seat yourself on cushions beside low tables. Because of the secluded nature of the tea drinking den, you can happily relax for a long time away from the diners in the adjoining dinning room. Slowing down is what’s great about Lumbini. You can forget about the busy city outside and search for inner (stomach) fulfillment.
Ian Cook
Lumbini Tea House & Authentic Indian Restaurant
1051 Budapest, Nádor u. 26. – Steindl Imre u. 13.
Tel.: +36.1.789.3584
www.lumbini.hu
(Hungarian only)
Starters
Mango Lassi
Vegetable Momos
Mains
Dhal Bhat Tarkan Kukhrako Masu
Veg Kofta
Aloo Paratha
Dessert
Pistachio Kulfi
Gulab Jamun
Masala Tea
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