Address: 49-08 Queens Blvd, Woodside, NY 11377
Subway: 46 St. (7)
As we neared the Tibetan Dumpling Cafe (TDC)–a quick walk from the subway–the five-colored prayer flags strung across the storefront were more effective than any sign in telling us that we had reached our destination. Needless to say, it was much easier to get to than Lhasa Fast Food (LFF) and Phayul.
Upon entering, I realized right away that this was a different type of restaurant than either LFF or Phayul: the setting was much more spacious and closer to that of a traditional sit-down restaurant. Definitely a place you might go out to for dinner or a date. Sitting down, I noticed that the tableware surprisingly well-thoughtout–the cups were metallic with copper detailing and the water jug was one you’d see at a more “hip” brunch spot. Like the other Tibetan restaurants, the kitchen was open and we could see the chefs and waitresses bustling around behind the counter. Overall, I would describe the ambiance as rustic with a modern twist.
Because I had researched the menu beforehand (and because we were ravenous), I quickly ordered the lhaping and cheley khatsa , with the chili sauce for each on the side.
While waiting, I noticed that the waitresses alternated taking care of the in-store customers and taking orders over the phone. I would say that they probably get a good chunk of business from deliveries. During the time that we were there, there were two or three other groups of people eating in the restaurant–not bad for Sunday noon.
For our meal, we started with the lhaping, which is sliced mung bean jelly with garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
It was good (quite standard, since there are many comparable dishes in Chinese cuisine) and a refreshing dish to start the meal with. I think that the mung bean jelly is made by dissolving mung bean starch in water through boiling, then letting the solution cool and jellify (my dad makes an almost identical appetizer using this method at home). I tried some of the chili sauce by itself and found that it wasn’t very flavorful but had quite a kick.
The cheley khatsa–sliced beef tongue sauteed with onions, red and green peppers–looked deceivingly spicy at first because of the reddish-orange sauce. However, a tentative bite proved my eyes wrong for the dish was not spicy at all. The sauce the beef tongue and vegetables were cooked in reminded me of (and probably was composed mostly of) what is called doubanjiang in Chinese. Doubanjiang is salty, often spicy, paste made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, rice and other spices. For those of you who haven’t had beef tongue before, the texture resembles a very lean but smooth cut of meat. I really enjoyed this dish, especially when eaten with the gigantic tingmo that came with it.
The tingmo was very fluffy and the way it was folded made it look like a brain. I couldn’t tell if the tingmo was made in-house or elsewhere because it seemed almost too perfect to be have been made by hand.
Having appeased our stomachs (for the time being), we left TDC and made our way towards Gakyizompe.