With three successful restaurants behind him, Tim Hughes visits Prakash Sharma’s latest Nepalese eaterie in Oxford’s Cowley Road

You can’t have failed to notice it – the Nepalese are coming.

The hardworking denizens of the Himalayas have left the hills and are opening restaurants faster than you can say ‘Chomolungma’ (that’s Mount Everest to you and I).

And while they look like standard curry houses, the good news for Asian culinary aficionados is that this is an altogether different cuisine.

And few people know more about curry Kathmandu-style than Prakash Sharma and his family. Having turned failed pubs into great restaurants at Everest in Howard Street, Gurkha Village in Kidlington and Himalaya Spice in Witney, Prakash has turned his attention to Cowley Road – opening a new eaterie in the heart of Oxford’s curry mile.

Despite Prakash’s heritage – the family home is in the shadow of Dhaulagiri (Earth’s seventh highest peak) – Kadai & Naan does not overplay its Nepalese connections. Indeed, with its crisp linen, white walls and clean minimal decor, it has more in common with a trendy curry house. Subtle touches, including a silver Buddha and pair of crossed Gurkha ‘kukri’ knives on the bar, give a hint that it’s the same but different.

The same goes for the menu, which features a smattering of Indian favourites (biryanis, tandoori dishes, kormas, jalfreyzi and even a chicken tikka masala) alongside a wealth of unfamiliar surprises.

After a brief bewildered glance at the menu (which runs to almost 100 dishes) we deferred to Prakash’s knowledge – with one condition: we needed momo!

A staple across the Himalayas, particularly in Tibet, these richly-spiced meat or vegetable-stuffed dumplings take their delicate texture from being steamed for up to 10 minutes. The result is smooth, succulent and yielding – with a side portion of chilli chutney giving it a sweet little kick. Addictive.

We teamed them up with a delicious prawn puree (a tangy sweet and sour concoction eaten with the fingers and assistance of a puree flatbread) and lamb tas – chunks of leg of lamb slow-cooked with ginger, garlic and chilli and served with crunchy puffed rice and salad. To be honest, we could have ended the meal there and been happy, the portions being enormous and great value. Yet, in the name of research, curiosity and just a little greed, we continued. And were glad we had, with Prakash serving up a pair of chicken dishes perfected back in his home village.

The first was Maurauti chicken – a rich medium-spiced dish, named after a rare herb, akin to peppermint and gathered close to his family home. It’s a house speciality here, and rightly so. The second was a honeymoon chicken – a lavish, lightly-flavoured dish of chicken breast stuffed with minced lamb and cooked with coconut cream. It is classic banquet fayre; showy, ostentatious and dreamy in its smooth creamy loveliness. We never did get to the bottom of where the ‘honeymoon’ came in – but suspected aphrodisiac qualities. The whole feast, which could have served two more hungry souls, was served with mushroom rice and a Peshwari naan.

Exotic, and different, but with a comforting familiarity, it’s no surprise that Nepalese cuisine is so popular.

Would I go back? Yes, at the drop of a Gurkha hat.

Kadai & Naan
209 Cowley Road, Oxford
01865 241493
kadaiand naan.co.uk