The Taste of Himalayas is based at Yerrabi Ponds in Gungahlin. Photo: Martin Conway.
Something is happening in Canberra’s dining scene, and it’s happening fast. All over our city, little white boxes are popping up. They’re nondescript, often unbranded, and they’re on wheels.
Inside those boxes are people with a dream of running their own business, and in many cases, they have some serious kitchen skills.
In the past week, I have eaten at various white boxes around the city. One was next to a car park, another was on a vacant block in the suburbs, and I also found myself on the footpath next to a busy road.
And you know what? I’m totally here for it.
Unpretentious dining is becoming a core part of my being, and this is as unpretentious as it gets.
One of those rolling boxes is based next to the skate park in Gungahlin’s Yarrabi Ponds, and don’t let the lack of napery and mood lighting fool you – The Taste of Himalayas is dishing up delicious Nepalese food that’s built a solid following over the last three years.
The menu at this Himalayan-inspired food truck touches on Nepalese classics and leans into the street food theme to match the streetside setting.
Momos come with a choice of veg, chicken and buffalo fillings, and in five different styles. Steamed for those who love the chewy, soft wrappers; chilli for those who enjoy their momos doused in a rich, fragrant, and spicy (but not too spicy) sauce; and fried for those who like a little crunch. There’s also johl for the broth lovers and kothe for the textural combination of half steamed and half fried.
It’s an impressive selection given the size of the kitchen and the two-person team making it happen.
On a recent visit, fellow streetside diners tell us that the chow mein is a regular choice of theirs, as are the pani puri, which their kids can’t seem to get enough of, while also demanding that Mum purchase more momos (a clear tick of approval).
To satisfy my regular desire for consuming something I’ve never heard of, alongside the almost compulsory order of momos, I chose the spicy chatpate, which was a delight with its perfect level of spice and its eclectic mix of ingredients, including puffed rice, fried noodles, potatoes, diced vegetables, and tangy seasonings and spices.
Keen to try a good range of dishes, we also ordered the pani puri, which came with a large cup of tart liquid to be poured into the crispy-fried shells. The flavour explosion when I dropped the vessel into my mouth didn’t disappoint, the liquid melding with the stuffing of potato, chickpeas, onions and spices created a riot of flavours.
The Taste of Himalayas offers momos in five distinct styles, each with three different fillings. Photo: Supplied.
The single picnic table set up next to the food truck encourages conversation with those waiting and those already dining. For the introverted diner, this may sound like a forced kind of social nightmare, but on this day, we were joined by a Nepalese family and an Australian-Indian family who made communal dining a true pleasure and reminded me that this is what street food should be: good food with good company.
As dishes arrived, our fellow diners enquired about the spice level and our personal spice tolerance, and regular check-ins were made to see what we thought of each dish. Favourite dish recommendations were shared among the group, and assistance with pronouncing new words, such as chatpate, was provided. We also shared the distances we had travelled to get there, with the closest being the family who had come across the road, and the furthest being us. Our companions were shocked to discover we’d driven from Bungendore to eat there, but for food this good, I’m happy to travel.
Three years into their food venture, The Taste of Himalayas is doing well and finding some longevity in Canberra’s fast-changing, outdoor dining landscape.
Some warmer weather would likely be welcome, and as the sun dipped behind the treeline to the west of the ponds, I thought about a return trip here in summer when the nights are long and warm and hoped I would again find my new dining companions here for another catch-up over a delicious plate of momos.
For opening hours and more information on The Taste of Himalayas, head to their Facebook page.
