By Ezra Black
The Himalayas are mountains and so are the Rockies.
Stands to reason that the two areas would have similarities, culinary-wise.
A Nelson businessman is banking on that assumption with the opening of Himalayan Spice Bistro at 301-2nd Ave. in Fernie.
Because of the geographical similarities between the South Rockies and the Himalayas, the bistro will be focusing heavily on the herbs and foods enjoyed by Asian mountain people.
The bistro’s menu is a sampling of recipes from countries that are near the Himalayas including India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal.
Some of their signature dishes include Kashmiri lamb, rogan josh, lamb nilgiri, chicken lababdar, Bengali fish curry, malai kofta and shahi korma.
“We are very excited to serve healthy and nutritious food to the people including many organic food items,” said bistro owner Bhupinder Tamber. “We are looking forward to giving our service to the community.”
Tamber is a graduate of the MI Hotel Management School in Switzerland and has more than 20 years in the hospitality business.
He’s also the owner of Bogustown India Grill and Lounge in Nelson, B.C.
Nepalese born bistro chef Dilip Chan studied the culinary arts in India and has cooked for five-star hotel guests, restaurant-goers across B.C. and even the royal family of Bahrain.
He is very excited to cook for you and insists he inherited his culinary skills from his mother.
“From childhood in my home, my mother was a really good chef,” said Chan. “And I used to go with her and cook with her. Later on when I was 15 or 16 I figured out that was what I wanted to do.”
The newly opened restaurant will soon be offering take out and delivery services.