With restaurants growing like mushrooms (or actually faster than mushrooms) in the Jhamel lane, it is becoming harder to pick one for a dinner night. After much contemplation we stepped into one of the new establishments, GG Machan.

True to its name, the restaurant has been built on a tree house-like setting, designed to remind you of your safari vacations in Chitwan. There is also a separate bar area if you fancy the high-chairs. The warm lights and soft music that played while we were there created a calm ambience, good for a quiet evening with your family or friends. We were greeted by a smiling staff and complimentary bhatmas sadeko.

The biggest challenge at GG Machan is deciding your order. When you finally get through the 15-page long menu, you feel bombarded with choices of Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Italian and other delicacies.

For starters, the Twakka Makai (Rs 190), a signature creation of Chef Sandeep Khatri I had once tried at Bu Keba, caught my attention. The crunchy corn, sautéed with spices, is a fantastic adaptation of the roadside chatpate. Every spoon will make you want more. Trust me on this one.

The description of the Melting Pokoda (Rs 250) was too tempting to ignore. Mashed potato and mozzarella, seasoned in batter and then deep fried, looked like a treat when it arrived. But the pokoda was a little too big to finish in a single bite, and couldn't quite achieve the "melt in your mouth" effect. Tip to the chef: decrease the size and increase the quantity. The potato could also use some spices.

Don't forget to meet Mr Wong at GG Machan. I don't know if it is inspired from the cartoon character Mr Wong or the Chinese restaurant by the same name, regardless of its source, Mr Wong's Pork Fillet (Rs 270) is worth a try. As you bite into the Cantonese style pork braised with spices, you can taste the tenderness of the meat and the richness of the sauce. Mr Wong's Pork Fillet is a must have.

While we were wonderfully surprised by Mr Wong, the GG Machan Fried Chicken (Rs 400) didn't quite live up to our expectations. Considering that it was a speciality of the restaurant, the beer battered chicken seemed a bit too bland for my taste, even with the tomato sauce that accompanied it. The Fettuccini Alfredo (390), pasta cooked in wine flambéed garlic with mushroom and chicken, gives you a mouthful of creamy and cheesy flavour and an aftertaste of jimbu, a herb usually used to flavour dal. For a cheese lover like me, the Alfredo was heavenly.

From the Indian kitchen, we picked the Mushroom Rogan Josh (Rs 320). The spiced fried mushrooms were delightfully juicy. The spicy gravy would have been a perfect match for naan or roti but it went well with the Chicken Fried Rice (Rs 200) we ordered.

We ended the evening with Chocolate Brownie (Rs 180) with ice cream (Rs 40). The brownie was a little too strong on cinnamon, but the duet of the brownie and the ice cream gave our evening a sweet ending.

I wouldn't recommend the non-alcoholic drinks at GG Machan, the choices are limited and not impressive. Stick with the regular coke or beer in their king-size beer glasses.

PM

Same lane as New Orleans, opposite Sigma Food Court