Old is New In Kathmandu
A dream come true for a family whose goal is preserving Kathmandu's architectural heritage (Real Video)

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Holiday Greetings from Everest

Resources
Nepal Tourism Board
VisitNepal.com

Dal & Apple Pie
Notes on Kathmandu Cuisine
Story & Photos, Russell Johnson

Dwarika's Kathmandu Village Hotel

Recently I dined at wonderful Japanese and Viennese restaurants, I tasted the best apple pie ala mode since my Mom's Minnesota version and experienced something I thought unattainable...Nepalese cuisine that I found just as satisfying as Thai, Indian or Chinese.

Several years ago when my friend Ambica Shrestha said she was going to create a grand-style traditional Nepalese cuisine restaurant at Dwarika's, the heritage hotel her late husband Dwarika das Shrestha built from found architectural treasures, I politely nodded and smiled.

All of my doubts were demolished when I dined at Krishnarpan. Set among antiques and traditional architectural detail restored by Dwarika's own workshops, Krishnarpan offered among other things, a plate of appetizers featuring religious ceremonial food, fried roots, rice pancakes, dal spiced with Himalayan herbs, fresh mushroom cooked with green garlic... in all a 13 course feast. I have always thought that Nepalese food was boring...not nearly as exciting as that of neighboring India. Krishnarpan proved me wrong. It offers flavors as varied as Nepal's terrain -- ranging from lush jungle to the heights of Everest -- with tastes almost as subtle and different as Thai. The restaurant has become a gathering place for the international crowd: the Prime Minister dines there, Hillary Clinton and the German president have paid visits...and Dwarika's heritage preservation efforts have been credited for spurring an architectural renaissance in Kathmandu.

For fun in Kathmandu, you might try Rumdoodle, named for a silly satire on mountaineering called The Ascent of Rum Doodle. The walls of the 40,000 1/2 foot Bar -- named for the fictitious peak -- are covered with autographed pictures of Everest expeditions.

Try Mikes Breakfast, founded by a Minnesotan (probably with Mom's recipes) for apple pie.