Thursday, January 10, 2008

Dinner at the local Tibetan joint

Rangzen Tibet Restaurant

Category: Himalayan/Nepalese
Neighborhood: Central Square


The first dinner I ever ate at Rangzen was not ridiculously delicious, but could be described as being rather simple. My consort and I, bought two entrees- his with chicken and mine vegetarian.

The bf said his Chhasha Solo ($12.55) white chicken meat with red & green pepper, onion, and tomato cooked in chili sauce & herbs had a particularly exotic aftertaste perhaps of cilantro.

My veggie dish the Po Tsel ($11.95) had bok choy sauteed with ginger & garlic, tomato, onion & spices with my choice of tofu, mushrooms or potatoes. I added chura (tofu). Po Tsel had a soupy buttery sauce combined with familiar Chinese flavors. Possibly this entree would work better as a side, since it wasn't very substantial.

I challenged my inner daredevil to try the traditional poecha tea ($2.50) made with salt, milk, and yes butter. Though, I pictured a hot buttered rum consistency and failed to take that gastronomical chance.

The restaurant was small, cozy, wooden, and a bit enchanted with Tibetan accents and a huge poster of the Himalayas.

A sign lay over the empty lunch buffet saying- "Respect the Food, Don't be Wasteful"

You might think this simple statement would cause a huge uproar of old teenage angst about eating my veggies. On the contrary, it worked! I ate all my greens and didn't want to be wasteful.

Even though my food was bland, I still enjoyed my first experience with Tibetan food.

I look forward to getting familiar with the dishes from this culture. I'll be sure to try the tea on my next visit.