LHASA LIANG FEN — Restaurant in New York

There are so many Himalayan restaurants in Northern Queens: Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst boast Tibetan, Nepalese and Bhutanese spots. I’ve still yet to try a lot of them, but this tiny hole-in-the-wall Tibetan is my favorite so far. It’s a really wonderful spot well-deserving of more attention. The chef cooks with a very sure hand at the wok and with seasonings.

-Yellow Liang Fen (dry) The house specialty, for which they’re famous among their Tibetan customers. This version is easily our favorite. -Steamed Chive Momos Amazing. Thin, delicate skin, very juicy. -Dry Thenthuk Dense, hand-pulled noodles with vegetables. Wonderful wok hei, a Chinese term for the smoky flavor that’s imparted by a scorchingly hot wok. -Bok choi (served with a bowl of rice) Revelatory. Never knew bok choi could be this good. Seasoned with garlic, green peppercorns, long red chiles, and the right amount of salt. This one also has great wok hei. -Pork Salad Way more pork than salad! Really tasty. -Vegetable Spicy Ping Not that spicy at all, but they may have toned down the heat for us westerners. We’ve since made it clear that we can definitely take the heat! In this instance it was mild and comforting. -Aloo Dum Spicy potatoes. A good rendition. -Momo sauce and chili oil Both house made, both excellent. -Another fresh-made chili sauce that the owner brought out to us after we told him that we...

Just 4 doors away from the Elmhurst Hospital hides this small eatery serving Tibetan dishes. The exterior is very unassuming. Without reading reviews and not specifically searching for it, I would absolutely overlook this place.

Inside is better, small but clean, sporting 2 rows of small tables each seating 4. The counter is situated midway and has some nice ethnic decors.

I asked for a menu with the strategy of ordering something that I have no idea what they are. I picked 3 after having the lady explain what they are.

It took 15-20 minutes. Here’s what I ordered:

#1 Lhasa Liang Fen $5.50. This dish is in the restaurants namesake so in a way it’s a must. It’s a jelly like vegetarian cold dish and is really brittle. I pretty much have to slurp it in. It looked spicy but not so much. Actually a bit in the bland side. If you never had this, you should try once.

#4 Stir Fried Thenthuk $9.99. I picked chicken as choice of protein. Think drunken noodle but the pasta is much much more dense, almost like cheese ravioli. After a few bites, I kind of become addicted to this unique texture.

#16 Sha Bakleb $8.99. This is more like a meat pocket, or giant fried dumping. With the accompanying red sauce, they are quite tasty and addictive. Came with 4.

Service was just meh. The lady who served me didn’t do or say anything to make me...

Calling this place “no frills” of pretty on-target, my dinner date walked over to the fridge to grab beverages that we ordered and never came. The tv, which still has it's “energy guide” sticker was playing a mix of YouTube music videos and commercials which seemed perfect for the adolescent guests who outnumbered the adults when we arrived just after 7 on Sunday night. But that's not why we're here! Momo's and Liang Fen, authentic Nepali style, and a side of gyuma, traditional blood sausage with rice flour. The Liang Fen are cold wide noodles wrapped around a filling that seems to be tofu. The “dry” version isn't in a broth, but it's hardly dry, it has a super yummy chili sauce that's just the right spicy, and the texture is a little chewy, but not tough. Very good The blood sausage has the same grainy texture of British blood sausage, but the addition of toasted rice flour gives it a more pillowy texture. Also served in a light sauce with dried red chilies, it lit me up in the most pleasant way. Then Momos with jhol sauce, fragrant of sesame, garlic, ginger and more chilies, spicy but not too much. It's probably great as takeaway, but the pageant if interesting locals in and out, and Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift with commercials for streaming services made for an...