On a busy thoroughfare in the West End of Edin­burgh, Scotland, is an unassuming restaurant sur­rounded by other, more glam­orous cousins. But never judge a book by its cover. Inside is a place that is simple on the eye but anything but simple on the palette. The Khukuri at Haymarket in Edinburgh has been run­ning since 1997. Around nine months ago the original owner retired and it came under the new management of Mukesh and Sunil Sharma. While sim­plifying the décor—getting rid of those cliché moun­tain pictures that dominate Nepali restaurants around the world—and adding even more authentic Nepali khana to the menu, there is a continuity that works well, in that the current manager also worked under the previous owner.

 

The Sharma brothers arrived in the UK in the 1990s, studying hospitality and web design respectively, so they understand the local as well as Nepali preferences. For them it is all about customer service and satisfaction. The person who really interested me, however, was Ramesh Kumar Shrestha, the manager.

 

Having come to Scotland in 2009, Shrestha spent the first month wondering what he could do in this new land. Fortunately, he came in con­tact with the original owner of the restaurant, who was known for helping Nepalis in Scotland. “I came here not knowing anyone but within a month I got a job at the Khukuri, where I worked for two years. I came back to the Khukuri in 2014,” explains Shrestha.

 

“Today, under the new management, there is defi­nitely more customers and we are thinking of opening a sec­ond branch where we staff will have shares,” says Shrestha. “We get many Nepalis coming here—for example Gurkha sol­diers who train nearby.”

 

Working in the Khukuri are nine other staff, seven of them Nepalis. Mukesh is studying under the restaurant’s chef to improve his knowledge of Nepali cuisine. “We are in the process of introducing sekwa and items such as channa chatpate, black dal, tare ko aloo, and lal mohan”, explains Sunil. The restaurant is sourc­ing saag but at the moment it is not finding exactly what it is looking for, “so are thinking of growing saag in our own small garden at the back”.

 

“Our customers are extremely important to us and whatever we are doing seems to be working. We are now 67th in Trip Advisor for Edinburgh, whereas before the restaurant stood at num­ber 326th,” Mukesh chimes in. “What’s more, today we are number one among Nepali restaurants and number seven among Asian restaurants in the city.”

 

And, the menu? What got me to the Khukuri was the fact they have bara (Rs 450), an all-time favorite of mine, and kheer, which is something I haven’t seen in other Nepali restaurants around the globe. Momos (Rs 700) are a feature, with a momo madness day held once a month, when customers can satisfy their craving for these little pack­ets of flavor. Other things that caught my eye were kwaanti soup (Rs 700) and chicken or lamb choyla (Rs 700).

 

I sampled the bara, adver­tised as made with ground black lentils. I was told that this did not prove popular with Nepali customers, thus the revised version comes over as a heavy bread-like pancake, which is now much loved by Nepali and non-Ne­pali customers alike.

 

I also tasted the chicken curry, with garlic nan, in their ‘Namche’ style (Rs 1,700; plenty for two people). The sauce contains jimbu and timur, again favorites of mine. I could do with more timur as I like my tongue to go numb! I was delighted to see Ever­est beer and Khukri rum on the drinks menu. Definitely something for the home-sick Nepali, and me!