03 April,2011 08:21 AM IST | | Lhendup g Bhutia
The new Sernyaa in Malad is as hospitable as the first one and the food just as good, so long as you stick to authentic Tibetan favourites
Sernyaa
At: Malad (West)
Call: 28765105
Cuisine: Tibetan
Verdict: Promising
Prawns may not be part of a traditional Tibetan menu but the
Xhang-Go-Nyasha, a prawn preparation at Sernyaa, was delicious
Right on the Chincholi Bunder junction in Malad, squeezed between Joey's Pizza, a popular joint where collegians hang out, and an assortment of shops, including ATMs and hardware stores, is a tiny restaurant with red tables and a big red signboard. Called Sernyaa, it claims to serve authentic Tibetan and Chinese cuisine. It is, in fact, a second branch; the first was a popular joint in Andheri that was recently razed down.
The two week-old new Sernyaa is a lot like the old one. The service is just as good and there are only seven tables. The night we arrived, the air conditioner was not in operation because the restaurant's door needed mending. But Uncle John, the kind old manager walked from table to table profusely apologising for the situation. He even apologised for the weather!u00a0
He is always around to help guests with their orders, but because this writer grew up on Tibetan food, counselling wasn't required. The starters list contained some heard-of items including Momos, T Momos, Logo Momos (Logo Momos and T Momos are big Tibetan buns and often eaten as main course) and some unheard-of items like Monk's Fury and Ja-Sha Bar-Beque Tibetan style (these probably don't exist). We decided to stick to the known devilsu00a0-- Momos (Rs 75) and Guemas (Rs 135).
Now, traditional Guemas or sausages are made of beef or mutton. They are steamed, are large and filled with either mutton or beef, and contain a bit of steamed rice and ajinomoto. But we were served chicken sausages that were fried with capsicum, chillies and onions. They weren't too bad, but hardly Guema-like. The Momos, however, were good. They had all the attributes of a good momo: properly-shaped, well-stuffed and with a thin outer covering.
Next up was main course. We had to be adventurous, for we hadn't heard of most items. So we went for the Xhang-Go-Nyasha (Rs 140, prawns assorted with Tibetan herbs) from the sea-food section, knowing very well that there are neither prawns nor a sea in land-locked Tibet, and Saptha-De (Rs 135) or as the menu informed, rice marinated with Tibetan herbs, mushroom, baby corn and chicken. The prawns tasted good but were like those at any other Chinese joint. The rice with its generous helpings of chicken and baby corn wasn't too bad either.
In hindsight, it is better to stick with traditional Tibetan dishes like the Momos and Thukpas if you don't want to go home saying this was no different from your friendlyu00a0 neighbourhood Chinese joint.
