Everest Tikka House: a taste of India and Nepal in Moorhead

By John Showalter

Tucked away in the northeast corner of the Moorhead Center Mall, Everest Tikka House opened on May 14 by owner Saru Pokharem. One has to realize that India is a gigantic subcontinent with a vast variety of different cultures (and therefore cuisines). The Indian diaspora has had a huge influence all over South Asia, including in Saru and her main chef’s homeland of Nepal, home of the famous spiritual refuge Kathmandu and the daunting Mount Everest, whose stony façade decorates the walls of the establishment.

So naturally, it made sense for the famous mountain to lend its namesake to the restaurant, which serves not only a variety of Indian but also Nepali dishes for the adventurous diner. This is a fascinating compliment to the existing Passage to India in Fargo and the largely Punjabi-inspired cuisine of India Palace in West Fargo, although I certainly do not have a bad word to say about either of those places. Variety is indeed the spice of life.

When I showed up for the weekday buffet I was immediately greeted by a genial staff. I filled my plate, seated myself in the cozy little establishment facing a speaker playing soothing ambient music and surrounded by two serene busts of the Buddha, and ate my first course. Of course, I had to start with the vegetable pakora, savory fried veggie fritters that make perfect finger food with a combination of onion and spices. After that I moved on to the meal proper. The naan bread that I had put my sabji palak on was a happy medium between retaining some chewiness without being doughy, and crispy on the outside and edges. The sabji palak was a dish combining spinach, fennel and paneer (Indian cheese made without curd). It was certainly tamer than some of the spicier dishes available. I loved the mellow combination of the greens with the cheese and just a hint of heat.

The chicken curry, of course, was a good degree spicier, as one would expect. It makes a great combination with either the rice or the naan bread available at the buffet, both of which soak up its sauces in a delectable manner.

The real showstopper for me, however, was a dish I had never had the opportunity to try before, a Nepali concoction of radish, carrot and various spices called mula ko torkari. The understated spices on the dish were complemented by a smooth, buttery taste and texture in the vegetables making it up. Afterwards the kind owner was all too happy to answer some of my questions about the food (without giving away too many trade secrets, I’m sure).

The lunch buffet gives a great opportunity to either longtime initiates of India’s cuisine or people who have never had food from that corner of the world before. It’s a bit more expensive as far as lunch buffets go (I believe my buffet plus a soft drink came to a grand total just over $13), but of course you pay for quality, which there is plenty of. The lunch buffet runs from 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., but if you’re looking for something a bit more formal there is always a menu, as well as the evening dinner which runs from 4:30-9:30 p.m.

One of the nice things about an Indian buffet is that unlike a lot of other buffets there is not only a selection of meat dishes, but incredibly delicious vegetarian dishes for those who follow that diet or even just want to try something different than the standard meat-and-potatoes fare. However, Indian cuisine also happens to work heavily with dairy, so the vegan and lactose-intolerant diners out there may want to converse with the staff about which dishes contain it.

So if you’re a regular patron of the mall or just happen to be cruising around Moorhead and looking for something exotic, you certainly can’t go wrong with trekking to Everest.