The other day my wife and I had an interesting lunch at a restaurant on Junction Blvd south of 35th called Hola Namaste (sometimes given as Holla Namaste). It's a nice place run by a young guy named Vikram who is from Nepal and cooks an interesting selection of Indian, Nepali, Mexican and South American dishes under one roof. We started with chicken livers in a crisp, deep fried taco shell smothered in spicy cole slaw, which was very satisfying. Then there was a plate of momos, shaped more like Szechuan dumplings, that came with two dipping sauces representing the two poles of the restaurant's cuisine: a ramekin of creamy guacamole and another of peanut sauce. These were as good as any momos I've had anywhere in the neighborhood. After that we had "chicken soup," a pot au feu style thing consisting mainly of chicken legs, sections of corn cob, carrots and other vegetables with a little rich broth and a big side of rice. This was good too. With tax & tip, $34.
The menus (one Asian, the other Latin American) and the "specials" on the wall encompass a panoply of appealing stuff including many standards (palak paneer, salchipappa) and creative items such as guacamole tempura. It's not exactly cheap, given what you might expect, but you can get a taco combo for two (if you ask) that is a good deal. And we enjoyed the food. No idea how Vikram stays in business; nobody seems to eat there, pricing is weird (cup of coffee: $5), and the location seems off for what he is doing. Nonetheless I plan to go back, and for those who like takeout (I don't) it might be an interesting option because you can satisfy a variety of preferences. Or maybe go with the kids; they can eat tacos while you head for the Indian subcontinent. If you go, by all means say hi to Vikram.
PS--Apologies if this has place has been covered here before; I searched and found no sign of it.
Topic: Noteworthy Asian/Latin American mashup (Read 563 times)