Cafe De Tukche, Bangsar

The heat of Himalayan spices rises in Bangsar: KL’s new Cafe De Tukche is the first Malaysian spin-off of a Kathmandu restaurant, bringing rustic Nepalese recipes to Telawi.

The flagship Thakali Thali rice and roti set meals will be served soon: for now, simpler snacks are offered.

For potato pleasure, Alu Timur is tossed in timur, Nepal’s tongue-numbing equivalent of Sichuan peppers, native to Himalayan heights, while Mustang Alu is thick-sliced with skin-on, crispy-melty sweetness.

Of course, momos are available, in preparations such as half-fried, half-steamed kothey for a golden-brown bottom and glistening-juicy top, complete with tangy house achar.

Other traditional treats span sekuwa chicken, charcoal-grilled with garlic, cumin and coriander, and addictive crunchy-earthy kanchembo buckwheat chips.