Little Tibet in Malad

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

Little Tibet in Malad

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

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.

Chicken Momos

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 partly razed down. The one-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 also always around to help people with their orders, but because I grew up on Tibetan food, I did not require counselling. The starters list contained of 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 ones like Monk's Fury and Ja-Sha Bar-Beque Tibetan style (these probably don't exist). So I decided to stick to the known devils ufffd Momos (Rs 75) and Guemas (Rs 135).

Now, traditional Guemas or sausages are made of buff or mutton. They are steamed, are large and filled with either mutton or buff, 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 a thin outer covering. But if one were to apply a purist's eye, some parts of the Momo's covering were a bit large.

Next up was main course. I had to be adventurous, for I hadn't heard of most items. So I ordered for 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-Deu00a0 (Rs 135) or as the menu informed me, rice marinated with Tibetan herbs, mushroom, baby corn and chicken.

The prawns tasted good but were like those of any other Chinese joint and the rice, with its generous helpings of chicken and baby corn weren't too bad either. In hindsight, it is better to stick with traditional Tibetan dishes like the Momos and Thukpas, and better to avoid the rest, for they don't taste any different from those dished out at other Chinese establishments.

At Shop-8, Ashok Enclave, Chincholi Bunder Junction, Link Road, Malad (West); Call 28765105/9930456959. Sernyaa didn't know we were there. The Guideu00a0reviews anonymously and pays for meals