[San Francisco, Tenderloin] Himalayan Pizza & Momo

There are some foods that just complement each other. Food duos that make each partner better in combination. Peanut butter and jelly. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Chicken and waffles. Pizza and momos.

Ok maybe not the last example. Himalayan Pizza & Momo is a new restaurant in the Tenderloin near the corner of Golden Gate and Hyde. Their menu is an interesting mix of pizzas and associated sides (chicken wings, mozzarella sticks) and Nepalese cuisine. Most of the pizzas on the menu appear to have standard American toppings, though there are also few unique pizzas, including one topped with chicken tikka masala. The location was previously a pizza place so perhaps they are repurposing the oven and other pizza making gear.

They also have pizzas by the slice from a display case in the front. I had a slice of the combination pizza (all slices are $3.99), which I believe is listed on the menu as the “Himalayan Special.” Nothing especially Himalayan about it but it was a decent combo slice. They heated it up and cut it in half.

I also had the chicken jhol momo ($10.99) off the Nepalese menu, which is described on the menu as a signature dish. This was very good. It had 8 potsticker shaped momos filled with a juicy minced chicken mixture. They were served in a bowl and were smothered in a slightly spicy, creamy tomato sauce that kind of tasted like a cream of tomato soup kicked up a notch with spices. Enough for a light meal by itself.

Will be back to try some more of the Nepalese dishes.

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Big Nepalese menu? Btw, do you know if jhol refers to the sauce in the dish or something else?

There were a bunch of different momo dishes along with two lunch sets, thukpa, which apparently is a Tibetan noodle soup, and some more generic South Asian dishes as well, i.e. chicken tikka masala, saag paneer.

Yeah the jhol refers to the sauce I believe.

Stopped by after finding Z Soul Cafe inexplicably closed for the day.

Their curry base contains timur (aka timut), a Nepali spice that has similar mouth vibrating “numbing” sensations as Sichuan or sansho peppercorns. The curry dip for the Himalayan pizza was rich, but I could still feel vibrations on my lips and back of my tongue (a good spice mix in general, I think I tasted green cardamom too).

Dipping pizza in a sauce is anathema to my upbringing in NY, and I treat as a signal the pizza is in need of something to mask its awfulness. I’m willing to make an exception here—- the curry dip paired well with the pizza toppings (tandoori style chicken and cheese), and having it as a dip allowed it to contrast, in temperature and taste, to the toppings without making the crust soggy.

Good momo’s! As in the OP, Jhul momos came in a sauce and though fragrant, I found the timur’s presence more subdued than in the pizza dip.

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