Binson Shrestha is the co-founder and owner of Stemp Apparels. He is also the director of International Club, Sanepa and a great foodie

Tamarind is a place very familiar to many residents of Sanepa/Jhamsikhel. In the past few years, we have seen Jhamsikhel transform into a mini Thamel, easily adapting to its nickname ‘Jhamel’.

Tamarind strategically and fortunately lies on my daily commute to work. After coming back to Nepal, this was the first time I visited Tamarind. I know the set up and decor of Tamarind from five years back, and to my surprise — the set up was still the same (I honestly expected some upgrading).

As I entered, there was a family of flies waiting for my arrival at the very first table. Obviously, I picked a cleaner space towards the corner. Throughout the four hours that I spent there, there were many groups of people that came in for brunch, mostly business people and families — definitely would not take any one on a first date to Tamarind.

For drinks I ordered, Ice Tea in the first hour, Iced Latte in the second, Masala Tea in the third hour and Latte in the final hour (the last order took forever, somewhere around 35 minutes). No complaints on drinks though. As for the food, I am very picky and usually end up with ‘a-la carte’ order for my snacks as well as main course. So I thought

I’d try to order something different from the usual Nepali orders of momos and French Fries.

The menu selection was actually pretty impressive; they had a wide array of food option. I ordered Prawn Wrapped In Bacon and Salmon Roll for my snacks and main course which surprisingly were delivered in no more than 12 minutes. The prawn wrapped in bacon was delicious but very oily. Salmon Roll was average, not something I would pack for lunch plus the serving was not enough for a hungry stomach.

Then came dessert — my favourite part of the meal. I had a hard time ordering but ended up with the classic, brownies and ice cream. This, however, did not disappoint me at all. The hot brownie and the cold ice cream blended perfectly to end my feast at Tamarind.

I eat out a lot, almost everyday and nothing so far has upset my stomach, not even the food carts that sell momos in some galli at 12 in the night, but once I reached home from Tamarind, my stomach started growling. I felt very uncomfortable and had to rush to the gentlemen’s room. Maybe it was a bad day at Tamarind, or it was a bad day for my stomach, but I did not expect that to happen. I have visited Tamarind many times and it has usually been a pleasant experience.

I hope they improve their hygiene a ‘wee-bit’ and continue to deliver good service to people that are looking forward to spending quality time with their near and dear ones.

TAMARINDRATINGS

Ambience: 8

Food quality/

presentation: 7.5

Quality of service: 8

Hygiene: 6.5

Value for money: 6

Overall satisfaction value: 8