It is easy to walk right pass Sun Café, the newest addition to Jhamsikhel’s ever expanding food map. Unlike many in the area that rely on extravagant and often loud décor to attract patrons, the owners – who also run Bhumi in Lajimpat and Degga in Kumaripati – have kept it simple. Except for a board with the restaurant’s name (which is easy to miss if you are not actually looking), there is little to announce its arrival.
Sun offers both indoor and outdoor seating in the form of a small patio, quixotic for soaking up the winter sun on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But if it’s rush hour, give the terrace a miss and seat yourself inside to avoid the smog and clamour from the street.
While the earthen walls of Sun are decorated in Mithila motif, the menu is a melting pot of cuisines from all over the world. Settling on what the restaurant does best may take a while, so save time by asking for suggestions.
PICS: SR
Too hungry to know any better our party of four ordered meat-heavy starters: bacon and cheese balls (Rs 260), chicken wings barbeque (Rs 300), our choice and chicken souvlaki (Rs 320), and chicken croquettes (Rs 340), which is what the friendly, young waiter recommended.
The bacon and cheese balls, although took a good while to arrive, were worth the wait. This popular appetiser has been abused by many restaurant kitchens around town, but at Sun it’s a cheesy and meaty delight. Our second order was, however, less impressive. The chicken wings looked and tasted more like Indian kebabs and the masala on the top was too overpowering, leaving our senses more confused than satiated.
The chicken souvlaki was definitely a far better bet. The Nepali version of this beloved Greek finger-food of pork or lamb pieces grilled on a skewer (served with or without pita bread), had tender and juicy chicken cubes, lightly marinated, and served with a piquant dip whipped up from mayonnaise, pepper, and onions. So were the chicken croquettes, which boasted a deep fried exterior and a succulent interior.
For mains we opted for the potato rosti and tofu (Rs 390) which basically was tofu in a tomato-ginger sauce and mashed potato. The tomato-ginger sauce was a bizarre concoction of salt and sweet and this is what spoilt the dish for us.
But we were glad we saved the best for the end: Sun’s special burgers and sandwiches. The bun for a change doesn’t break and holds the freshly made patty and a host of other fillings well together giving one delicious mouthful after another.
Unfortunately, work prevented us from dabbling in the bar menu. But an evening visit to Sun surely beckons: the prospect of a crisp cocktail in hand to wash down a plateful of those lovely souvlaki is too hard to turn down.
How to get there: Sun Café is located opposite Epic Bikes, a few metres from Café Soma in Jhamsikhel.