THE MOMO BLOG

Yes. This is the post you were waiting for-the one about momos..or dumplings..or whatever. Not that this is the first time I’ve written about momos, but you and me, both know those steamed (or fried) packets of stuffing are worth it. Aren’t they?

You’ll find them all over town-EVERY town. Each nook and corner has this person swarmed by groups of people chomping away at the happiness on their plates. But the five places I’ll be telling you of, here, are different. The happiness they serve is greater, denser and absolutely more fulfilling. Life’s like that you know, some of us get to eat the rainbow and the happy sunshine, all on a winter evening. So Guwahatians brace yourselves. I’m gonna tell you of five places where they serve momos that are more than momos on a plate. And the best part? The prices are reasonable given the treat your taste buds are going to receive. By the way, this list is in descending order, i.e. number 1. being the best and the 5^th being one of the bests.


1.

                         

     The first place on my list is a new joint in Geetanagar called Ziya. It’s the two months old baby of Mr. Mousum Phukon who is putting his heart and soul into sculpting Italian delicacies to suit the Assamese tongue. Being a professional chef himself, Mr. Phukon has worked in different cities of India as well as in the international hotel management industry. no wonder, the quality and hygiene of food at Ziya is impressively maintained. 

With your very first step into Ziya, meaning ‘the meal’ in Turkish, I’m sure you’ll love every second that follows.  Be it the simple furniture, the checked table cloth, the contrast of colours on the roof, walls and floor or the spotless and shinning cutlery. Everything in here is tuned to perfection.The interiors of black and white are calm, composed and friendly. The waiters are impressively dressed and very well trained. There’s no slamming of food on the table or dirty glasses or impure tap water. And their simple presentation deserves a standing ovation. The best part though, is that you could belong to any age group and yet feel comfortable in your surroundings here. Let’s hear it for them folks!

Served for a hundred bucks, with your plate of chicken momos, you’ll receive a bowl of the momo broth which, they’ve clearly paid extra attention to. There are bits and leaves of coriander swimming in the soup, which adds a spark to the texture.  And did I already mention the two complimentary chutneys you receive as well? No, these aren’t that typical red momo chutney. It’s something better, way grander and, if I may call it, ‘CLASSY’.  The first one (the one on the extreme left) in basically made of fresh garlic, coriander, ginger and olive oil. And the second one is made of tomatoes and it tastes how crazy would taste if it tasted good. The tiny steamed sacs are generously stuffed with the best kind of grated chicken you’ve probably ever had. A single plate of these are enough for you to stay away from dinner not because they’re greasy or anything but because they’re light and full-filling, a quality rarely found in momos these days.

                                                               chicken momos

For those of you wondering, they do cook a host of other dishes. I treated myself to their Sea food starter and Mushroom Khichidi and OH MY GOD I’m never ever ever ever going to forget what I ate today. It was AWESOME! More than that actually. It was mind bogglingly good.

                                                                        sea food starter

                                                                  mushroom khichidi

Also,they are getting their winter menu out within a week, and from what I saw and tasted, I guarantee you’re missing something huge if you aren’t feasting at Ziya. There’s more to come about this place, but that’s for another post. As of now, GO GO GO GET THERE!!

Ziya is an oasis in the Assamese fine dining industry and has the capability to be the single outlet that defines this industry as a whole.

You can find Ziya @
 https://www.facebook.com/ziyaguwahatiand
https://www.zomato.com/guwahati/ziya-zoo-tiniali

2.       Very very closely followed is the ultra-popular ‘NAGAMEEZ’. If you are a true Guwahatian, you already know everything there is to be known about this place. And even the fact that their momos can melt your heart. It’s a heart wrenching love affair between your taste buds and their momos. And the soup they dish out with their plate of momos..wow!! 

      They best time though, to treat yourself here is the winters. There’s nothing that can warm you up better than their soup and spice up your life greater than their chilli-tomato chutney. You’re going to be served six steamed chicken momos for Rs. 250, alternated with slices of salad vegetables.

 Drooling already eh?!



3.

‘Lakhimi Seva’ on Beltola Road is prone to getting over-shadowed by the hustling and bustling ‘Beltola Bazaar’ on Thursdays and Sundays. But otherwise, it’s hard to miss.

Though the atmosphere here is not as chic as Ziya, it’s good enough for a few snacks. The cherry on the top is the bakery that runs parallel to the restaurant. They waiters here are just simple boys taught to attend politely to customers and trust me, they try their level best to do so.

Okay! Let’s just focus on the momos. Here, you’ll be treated to six momos for Rs. 50 and they are undoubtedly fantabulous. You’ll mostly find fresh onions and coriander when you stir the soup and the chutney, it’s simply delicious. Though the dumplings are great when you eat them regular style and everything, I discovered another way to please my digestive system. 

The next time you’re here, remember the following steps:

a.       Scoop the chutney into the soup bowl and mix .

b.      Cut a momo into two and imitate a bull-dozer with your spoon,

c.       When you have the momo piece on your spoon, carefully dip it into the soup. Be certain not to drop the wanton into the soup but you should have a good amount of the liquid on your spoon.

d.      Now when your spoon accommodates your own island, relish it and feel the difference.



4. Well..yes, I do realize I kept you waiting for longer than you anticipated. But life’s been crazy the last few days, as a result of which I couldn’t give the blog as much time as it deserves. So given the circumstances, I at last managed to treat myself to another plate of these gorgeous beauties. If you are a Guwahatian and  love momos, this place should not come as a surprise to you.

QUICK PICK is a very popular hangout and serves tremendously good food. it's got two outlets-one in Silpukhuri and the other one in Dighalipukhuri under Cafe Coffee Day. The tariff is reasonable and practical.

The fresh and light mayo served with the dumplings is hardly the best part about the entire experience. And the bestestestest part folks, is that you get to choose from a variety of chicken momos and..and they serve TEN irresistible pieces of these sexy packets for ninety five bucks!!! Can you imagine that? THEY SERVE TEN MOMOS-the highest I’ve seen dished out on a commercial plate so far.

The soup, though a tad bit bland, is good if nothing more.

You'll be served two dips-the first one I guess, is a blend of different spices with tomato (the orange one) and the second is pure tomato ketchup..not the pure as in 'PURE' one..but the pure as in the 'PURELY' commercial one.

Okay! So now's the time for the tip-mix a part of the mayo with a part of the orange sauce; dip your momo into it and BITE!! Repeat if you like. I absolutely LOVED it.

WARNING: DO NOT..DO NOT..DO NOT USE THE ISLAND FORMULA MENTIONED ABOUT IN THE LAST PLACE HERE. IT ISN'T GOING TO WORK! :( There's going to be absolutely no difference!!

 If you are a frequent visitor here, you’ll swear by their ‘Drums of Heaven’ and ‘American Choup Suey’, each of which like every single plate of edible stuff served here is filling enough for two.




5.


ABOUT THE  FIFTH PLACE, WELL..I'M STILL LOOKING FOR IT. ANY SUGGESTIONS?