Restaurant’s Boiled Beef Tongue—Meaty Goodness for 380 NPR 🥘

After eating around Nepal, I’d grown tired of “overpriced Chinese food”—a plain potato stir-fry costs 500 NPR, a simple noodle dish too. Then I stumbled into Dorje Restaurant, and finally found “cheap and delicious.” I visited twice last year when I was in Pokhara; this year, pushing open that door with Tibetan tapestries, the owner still smiled and greeted me: “Back again? Today’s beef tongue was just braised～” The owner, a Tibetan with a hearty highland laugh, noticed I always ordered tongue and would add extra red oil: “You like spicy, (girl), more for you.” The wooden tables are polished to a shine, fresh barley flour piles in the corner, and sunlight slants through window grilles onto enamel bowls—even the air smells like warm broth, like stepping into a neighbor’s kitchen in Tibet. 🥩 Boiled Beef Tongue for Two Days Straight—Tender Enough to Melt This plate of boiled beef tongue is a must! Sliced just right, with a hint of chewy membrane on the edges, it’s tender as tofu when you bite down. Braised sauce mixes with Sichuan peppercorn tingle, lingering on your tongue. The owner says the tongue is first blanched to remove gaminess, then braised with star anise and cinnamon for 3 hours, finally doused in freshly (poured) chili oil—no wonder every bite hits “fresh, fragrant, numbing, spicy” all at once. I ordered it two days in a row; the second day, he brought a small dish of minced garlic: “Add this for more flavor.” Mixed into the tongue, garlic amplifies the meaty aroma, perfect with white rice. 200 NPR (≈¥10) for a plate piled high with meat—way better than a 500 NPR vegetarian Chinese stir-fry. 🍜 Noodle Soup + Masala Tea—Warm to the Bones The noodle soup is “home taste copied and pasted”—hand-torn wide noodles with uneven edges, soaking up rich beef bone broth. Radish inside is stewed translucent, bursting with juice when bitten. Sprinkle with cilantro, and hot soup slides down your throat, warming from stomach to toes—like that “comfort soup” mom makes in the kitchen. Pair it with a 30 NPR masala hot milk tea: turmeric and cardamom aroma mixed with creamy foam, hot enough to make you gasp, but too good to put down. During my period, I’d sip the hot soup until my forehead sweat, menstrual cramp discomfort easing away, body relaxing—more effective than brown sugar water ❤️. 💰 380 NPR Happiness—Better Than Chinese Food Total for this “hearty meal”: boiled beef tongue (200) + noodle soup (150) + masala tea (30) = 380 NPR (≈¥19), enough to fill you up with leftovers. Compared to 500 NPR for a vegetarian Chinese rice bowl, this meat-loaded tongue is “value king.” The owner says “Tibetan food is honest”—extra rice or soup is free. Once I ran out of noodles, he brought half a bowl: “Eat more, girl—need energy to explore.” That warmth sticks with you more than the food itself. Now, every trip to Pokhara, Dorje Restaurant makes my must-eat list. After all, finding “cheap, tasty, and (heartwarming)” food abroad is rare—when your stomach’s happy, even walking feels lighter～ 📍 Location: Just Google “Dorje Restaurant”—tucked in an alley off the main street, look for the barley flour bags by the door～ #TibetanCuisine #NepalFood #PokharaEats #SaviorForChineseStomachs