Himalayan Flavors replaces Pomegranate in Berkeley

[majordanby]

Looks like Pomegranate on University in Berkeley closed down and was recently replaced by an Indian restaurant, Himalayan Flavors. I tried Pomegranate once...standard Mediterranean cuisine... the gyro meat was good....but, the place was practically empty. You could easily drive by this place on university and miss it.

Anyone try the new place?

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Himalayan Flavors
1585 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703

[tre2012]

This is one of three Himalayan restaurants owned by the same family, all of them in Berkeley. It's a little more upscale than its siblings.

Inconsistency is a problem. The food at lunch was prepared differently than the same items at dinner. The service was relatively poor. Two side dishes at lunch were ice-cold from the refrigerator, very unpleasant.

The food here is gently spiced compared to the better Indian and Burmese places. The mo-mo's are good (although they're better and totally authentic at Kathmandu/Berkeley...but K/B is painfully slow). The tandoori grill is quite nicely done compared to other places. The naan is puffy, though, something my spouse doesn't care for.

Everest, on Solano Ave., isn't as good on the mo-mo's or tandoori, but their saag paneer is much better than Himalayan Flavors.

But otherwise, the food is on the ordinary side. If you like it gutsy and spicy and energetic, you'll be better off at Indus Village or Kabana, both further down on the San Pablo Ave. corridor.

[lmnopm]

I am surprised about the spice comment, because I've been there maybe half a dozen times (both lunch y dinner) and "medium plus" has been from comfortably hot to a bit more than comfortable. My lunches have been more inconsistent, but at worst, was acceptable. Definitely more heat than Indus Village (which I find to be a different cuisine altogether).

As the servers on my visits have been exceptionally nice and eager to please, I'd suggest that if you weren't thrilled with an item that you let them know.

This is the kind of place that I want to succeed. Just different enough, can shine at its best moment, and is always at least good. Plus, the price and availability of parking is a big plus.

[Robert Lauriston]

Walking by last night I noticed they have tandoori pork. Now that's my kind of fusion.

[phone]
11:30-3 & 5-10 daily
1585 University
http://himalayanflavors.com

[lmnopm]

That sounds great - I didn't notice it (even though I was eating there last night, probably when you walked by).

We had the lamb momos, a goat curry (very good), and although the mango chicken wasn't on the menu this time, they made some for us. (It was good, but better the previous time, likely because the sauce was prepared in advance and developed more complexity.) Meat quantity in the dishes is not very great, as before. Again, the Phapar ko babar was good.

After 2 dinners and 2 lunches there (one of each very good, and one of each good), I'd say that this place is on the occasional rotation list.

The food went well with a Donkey and Goat rose - of course, not on the restaurant's menu, which remains sadly deficient in that department.

[Robert Lauriston]

Huh, I guess I forgot to report on my meal there. The tandoori pork wasn't what I imagined, it was pork belly and didn't have much seasoning, reminded me more of something I'd get at a yakitori place than other tandoori dishes. The buckwheat pancake was closer to an American buckwheat pancake than I expected.

I felt like I didn't order very well, some of the other things I tasted and saw were more interesting, definitely want to go back and try more dishes.

[ernie in berkeley]

I had lunch there a few weeks ago. It was ok, if kind of underseasoned compared with that place on Solano. On the other hand, I was alone had a generic lunch plate, not one of the big selections of Nepali dishes; it looks like it would be worth visiting with a crowd so you could sample more.

[lmnopm]

I had a wonderful dinner there tonight.
We started with Lamb momos. Very tasty, with a delicious sauce
Then, we had the mango chicken (on the monthly special list) and lamb samdeh. The sauces were complex and delicious. Each quite distinct, and I used the rice to keep them separate. (Each entree comes with a side of rice - choice of basmati or brown). The mango chicken sauce was hard to describe - almost a BBQ sauce - delicious sweet and spicy.

Speaking of spice, "medium plus" was a good amount of heat - I have a feeling that full "spicy" would have been a bit uncomfortable. They are not afraid to put heat in the food, but sensitive to the fact that it can make a lot of Berkeley people cry.

When the dishes came out, my first thought is that we didn't order enough food. The sauces were so rich that we actually ordered plenty.

Instead of naan, we got the Phapar ko babar, a buckwheat pancake. Very good.

If you want a better wine, I suggest you BYO and pay for corkage. The in-house selection is poor.

Service was very friendly. This is far from "fine dining" by any stretch of the imagination, but I found it to be the most interesting meal out in quite awhile.

Contrary to ernie's experience above, I once stopped in for lunch, and had a goat special a few months ago (my only prior visit), and found it to be delicious.

I've only ordered Nepalese dishes here. The place was about 3/4 full.