The ‘Du may have very cosmopolitan eateries for dinners and lunches, but when it comes to breakfast, it has a lot of catching up to do. Kathmandu’s restauranteurs do not seem to give much importance to the most important meal of the day. Usually, menus will carry not more than four options. Sad as it is, the only variety comes in the form of choice of eggs (any style) and a selection between bacon and sausage, no other cut meats.
So, when Café Soma opened and this paper carried a wonderful review of the place by Marco Polo two years ago, some of us who live to eat paid it a visit. The description of Soma’s Eggs Benedict (then Rs 280, now Rs 390) was so delicious in itself that even a non-lover of poached eggs couldn’t refrain from placing an order for this American classic.
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A friend who is a ‘farkeko Nepali’ remarked how her search for good pancakes in the capital ended at Soma. Soft, fluffy and light, Soma’s pancakes are without doubt one of Ktm’s bests. And this is why pancake with fresh fruits and yogurt (Rs 350) is one dish that has always made an appearance on the table during all our visits.
Another thing that Soma does well is croissants. Random bakeries around town try to do croissants, but they are pretty dismal -- just crescent-shaped paurotis. But at Soma they are so good, and prepared with utmost perfection that having just one of these little moon breads is an insult to both your tummy and the baker. With each layer of the pastry adequately buttered, it is moist and flaky only in the way the baker inventors of croissants in Vienna intended them to be. Choose between bacon and eggs with crossaint (Rs 400) or crossaint with ham and cheese (Rs 300), or just eggs (Rs 250) to satiate your morning hunger and there will be no regrets.
Soma’s full English breakfast (Rs 600), which the waiter described as a heavy dish and the more exotic sounding smoked salmon benedict (Rs650) and a couple of yet-to-try dishes show the many options of breakfast on offer. The beverage menu is also equally varied: besides the house special the Browniccino (Rs 190), the Hazelnut Iced Latte (Rs 180) is one of the best coffee beverages brewed in town.
If you have a penchant for sweets, walk up to the counter where the day’s baked goodies sit behind a glass case. The banana and chocolate muffin (Rs 100) is sweet and decadent, and leave no trace of baking powder in the throat that store bought muffins are guilty of.
Café Soma also makes excellent burgers and sandwiches, in case you decide to pay a visit during non-breakfast hours.
How to get there: Walk past Sun Café in Jhamsikhel, opposite to a bike store on the street housing Hermann Bakery.