PICS: CC
Regular visitors to Bhaktapur, as well as its residents, will already be very aware of the city’s major drawback. Located only 13km away from the capital proper, the town may well boast higher standards of architectural preservation, quaint surrounds and a dearth of traffic – but it is let down enormously by its lack of good quality eateries.
Amid squares and side streets dominated by hole-in-the-walls and chow mein-by-numbers tourist traps, Café Beyond comes as a real surprise. Serving Korean food with vegetables from their own organic back garden, Beyond provides welcome respite from a town whose menus and prices more closely resemble those found on trekking routes. True to its name, the café is located outside of the main Bhaktapur heritage area, meaning that the Rs 1,100 tourist entrance fee is not a prerequisite.
We took refuge from the afternoon rain in the venue’s bright, colourful, and airy interior and received a warm, if slightly slow welcome. Café Beyond appears to operate with only a skeleton staff and so it may not be the ideal choice if you’re in a rush to eat. However, the food is more than worth the wait. Unfortunately, the ongoing bird flu debacle saw us denied both chicken and egg dishes – quite an impediment here, as it is elsewhere. One can only wonder what we won’t be able to eat next week.
Picking from the restaurant’s unusual handwritten menus, we ordered most of what we could. An eggless bibimbap (Rs 280) of lightly steamed vegetables, glutinous rice, and fermented chili sauce – all of which were delicious in their simplicity and lightness of preparation. A generous plate of kimbap (Rs 260, various fillings) also impressed. This dish, similar to sushi, was particularly unusual for the inclusion of a cheese filling – odd, but not unpleasant, and a sign of surprises to come.
We were impressed with the way Café Beyond was willing to play with our expectations, but perhaps less so with the menu’s tendency toward ambiguity. We awaited the ‘Mysterious Combination’ (Rs 330) with a certain amount of trepidation and were presented with a meze-esque plate of sliced fruits and vegetables, a side dish of miniature flatbreads, and a small bowl of Bhaktapur’s omnipresent King Curd. Again, the freshness of the ingredients shone through, but we were left with more questions than answers – not least as to why this relatively small, simple arrangement was one of the most expensive items on an otherwise very reasonably priced menu?
Dessert continued the theme, with the café’s signature ‘Beyond Dessert’ (Rs 160) – essentially fruit and curd wrapped in a thick, soggy roti – seeing intrigue displaced by mild disappointment. The banana crumble (Rs 120), with its straightforward, no-nonsense name, served only to confuse us further. Poor presentation and execution make this particular item one to avoid.
Café Beyond’s delicious, simplistic take on Korean main courses and snacks is hard to grumble about though, particularly in the context of a culinary scene dominated by stodge, spice, and staples. Our party of four also left, satisfied, for less than Rs 1,500 – it’s hard to imagine any of Bhaktapur’s mainstays matching that.
CC
How to get there: leave Bhaktapur Darbar Square via the main city gate and head straight for around 100m. Café Beyond is on your right, emblazoned with paintings on its shop front window.