Tibetan Kitchen West End

I ventured to the Tibetan Kitchen with my partner for Date night! It was a busy Friday night and we were lucky enough to secure a table.
I ordered the Kathmandu Kukhura, spinach and cottage cheese stuffed chicken breast with spicy mashed potato and a delicious garlic sauce. This dish was close to perfect, the garlic sauce is smooth and creamy and is easily the star of the dish, the chicken breast was slightly dry. My partner ordered the Goat Curry which was tender and delicious, the sauce was quite rich and quite nice. Overall the food was very nice and I would definitely return. The only negative was the time it took to get our meals, which was about 30 minutes.
I would highly recommend the Kathmandu Kukhura!

Lovely little restaurant, very relaxed atmosphere, not yuppie at all, the mixed entrée is a must to try a little bit of everything, I had the Sherpa chicken which was yummy, mild, but tasty, and the curry fish which was hot but maybe needed more strength in other spices?, try the Himalayan desert! It was so different and unique and a total decadent treat. Everyone is seated close together even though there is plenty if seating, but I think this was because there was on 2 waiters working

This was my first outing to the Tibetan Kitchen and was not without some trepidation. But let me allay all fears young readers, there are no tales of woe here.
Important things to note — firstly it’s BYO and there’s a bottle shop less than 50m away ($ 2.50 corkage) and secondly, there are vegetarian menu options for the herbivores who sneak in with the humans.
We started with a plate of Pahkora to share — 4 crispy onion pastries served with a yoghurt & cucumber sauce — not quite as crispy or as tasty we had hoped, but a safe start.
Our mains comprised a goat curry and the house signature dish «Jhinge Machha Ra Aduwa» — prawns cooked in a lime, ginger and coconut milk curry topped with coriander. The goat was nice and tender but it is cooked on the bone so just be careful and on the lookout. I thought that the prawns were the tastier of the two dishes although they may have been a little over cooked and on the tough side.
The Tibetan Kitchen is not 5 dining but at less than $ 10 for entrees and less than $ 20 for mains you can’t really go wrong here and it fits right in with the famous Hardgrave Rd dining precinct. What’s more it is in the Brisbane Entertainment Book (2 for 1 mains)

This is easily one of my favourite restaurants in Brisbane.
Both the vegetarian and meat dishes are delicious. So for large groups with some vegetarians it’s a good choice because everyone will find something they like.
The food is very good value at around 13 to 18 for a main. The service is friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is more relaxed than the other busy restaurants in Hardgrave Street.
The Tofu Curry is delicious. Even if you’re not usually a tofu fan it is easily one of the tastiest tofu dishes I have ever tasted.
The restaurant may be a bit out of the way of the main part of west end but its definitely worth seeking out. Highly recommended.

Fearful of a similar experience at the Fortitude Valley Tibetan Kitchen, the last thing I was looking forward to last night was dinner with the in-​laws at Tibetan Kitchen West End.
I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Interestingly, this Tibetan Kitchen (TKWE), although outfitted in the same way the Valley restaurant is, has its own website, separated from the other two restaurants (the other being in Spring Hill). I wonder now if this has anything to do with the improvement in experience? I will always avoid the Valley restaurant after that dismal dinner, but I would definitely return to TKWE for an intimate dinner for two.
TKWE is located at the corner of Hargrave Rd and Skinner St. There are a bundle of other restaurants and shops on the same strip, and they’re all a mix between new and shiny and old and flakey. It’s streetside parking, and beware the yellow line of doom as it’s found in abundance in this area. This is further on from Boundary St strip, so don’t expect to be fighting for parking, though.
Ambience ****
I don’t know if it’s my inner hippie coming out, but I love incense, it makes me feel all warm and cozy and dozy and I’m really a nut for it. TKWE burns a few sticks of incense at the cashier counter, so my nose was already in heaven when I walked in. You’ll see the familiar Tibet eyes painted on the glass outside, and the interior is painted in yellow and blue, or otherwise varnished wood — not my first choice for a restaurant, but it does add to the rest of the adornments. Tibetan prayer flags, horns, and textiles are strewn throughout the restaurant to encourage patrons to look around to see what they can find. I can’t recall any music (and after saying this in a few other reviews I really should pay more attention!), but I was engaged in enough banter with my family that it didn’t matter.
The tables are set with blue and yellow linen, and the place settings are clean and elegant with plain white settings. I found it a bit odd that although there were wine glasses set, there was no limited alcohol list (BYO only), and no rock glasses set for water.
The only thing I really didn’t like was that the curtain separating the kitchen from the floor was way too thin. I like an open kitchen as much as the next rubber-​neck, but in this case, I suggest either another layer of curtains a few inches apart, or a screen to avoid critical eyes.
Service ****
For an unusually busy Monday night, service was swift and friendly, and although there was only the one waitress and host working the floor, we were attended to frequently enough not to be in a situation where we needed to wave anyone down. The waitress was new to the job and we were reminded a little too frequently, although it was appreciated if she didn’t know what it was we were asking for, she immediately checked with the host who would return to our table to assist.
We were perusing the normal menu, when one of our party asked about the banquet menu (she’s a repeat offender at TKWE). The waitress wasn’t sure what we wanted, but the host was quick to come and offer us the banquet menu and explain what it entailed.
Food ****
With the banquet comes a selection of breads and about four types of entrée, then at least six main dishes, with a variety of red meat, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian options, plus rice. It’s $ 26.50 per head, and as the host said, all you can eat, although for six people, what we were given was plenty. Though we ordered mild for those wusses in our group (me), a good amount of very, very hot chilli paste was provided for our chilli lovers.
I found the flavours of each dish unique and very fragrant, which impressed me, because normally I don’t find a lot of difference in taste when a lot of herbs and spices are used in wet dishes. The chefs were heavy handed with coriander as a garnish, though, and onions did make a prominent appearance in a few dishes, which detracted from the meat they accompanied.
Attention stalwart vegans, and I mean hardcore, be aware they may use ghee for a lot of their dishes (thank the sticky beak eyes, there!). I’m not sure how far into it you’d need to be to avoid ghee, but just a note for those who are.
Drinks here are all non-​alcoholic, and expect some authentic Tibetan offerings. I had a chai tea which was pleasant and not too sweet, but plenty hot. It was a bit small, but I wonder if I’d asked for a pot I would have gotten one?
Additional Notes
TKWE does not stock any alcohol, so hit the local bottle-​o if you want to bring some along. Corkage is $ 2.50.
Although my and the rest of our group’s appetite was sufficiently satisfied by the end of the meal, hubby insisted later he hadn’t had enough to eat. I’m going to put that down to him being too shy to ask for more, and with eyes far larger than his stomach.

I love the West End Tibetan Kitchen because the service is personalised (there is usually one main waiter working the floor and counter), and the atmosphere intimate.
You can’t go past the Dhaal Soup (lentil, tomato, ginger, garlic, onion and vegetables with a fresh coriander garnish) for $ 5.90, and the Bakra ko Tihun (tender goat curry on the bone with pumpkin and squash) for $ 16.90. A lot of West End locals flock to Tibetan Kitchen for their dinner so there is always a large array of diners here to make your dinner experience a pleasant and interesting one.
Bring a bottle of wine and chill out with some great food and some Tibetan beats (not so much beats, more so monks humming) as the soundtrack to your meal.

Vegetarians and vegans, take note: Tibetan Kitchen in West End is a haven for those with no-​meat preferences. The menu handily identifies meals as being vegetarian or vegan, so the guesswork is removed. The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated, and the not-​too-​bright lighting and soft music complete the atmosphere.
The menu is excellent, with a wide range of Tibetan-​style dishes. My vegetable curry was beautiful and came with flatbread for dipping. I can’t wait to try the crème brulee for dessert!

Sukewa.
Aloo Chop.
Sherpa Bread.
Goru Ko Masu.
Chow Chow.
These are what you must sample here at Tibetan Kitchen. The meat is cooked so tender and infused with herbs that melt in your mouth. The bread is something I’d never tasted before, but would try again. The Khir was fantastic and tasty for a Nepalese Dessert.
My friends and I were both invigorated and intrigued as we’d never had this type of food before. It was definetely a good thing for my vegetarian friend too as they had a plethora of vegetarian dishes too. With prices under the $ 17 for mains, drinks all for under the $ 4 mark, how could we complain.
The mood was good, the atmosphere a little bit exotic and the food filling massive holes in our bellies, you will leave feeling enriched and full most definetely. I really do love this place, and every once in a while you need a little Tibetan food for your soul I think.

This place is a perfect little slice of Tibet.
I love coming here as the space is so inviting and intimate,
The experience of stepping into a different country is complete
as you sit down in a room clustered with prayer flags and artifacts.
Now having a lot of vegetarian friends,
I instinctively scan the menu for any no-​meat offerings
and I am pleased to report this place comes up trumps.
(Over 15 vege dishes in fact!)
I can’t go past the Chilli Momos (potato dumplings fried in tomato chutney)
Lime tofu curry or the flat sherpa bread (complete with chutney, cheese and herbs)
They also offer catering for parties and special occasions
but be sure to book ahead as it tends to get a bit packed
on the weekends.