Home to dozens of hole-in-the wall places it may be, but New Road has always been a bit of a stretch for those of us living on the other side of the bridge. But still, we get into packed buses to sample its many delicious and cheap eateries. Whether it is the hot and piping, absolutely yummy samosas of the now infamous Tiptop or a glass of refreshing chilled lassi at the always-crowded sidewalk stall on the lane leading towards Thaiti, New Road is a true food haven for the gastronomically adventurous, who are willing to fight crowds to find standing space which somehow all these eateries offer in minimum.
And yet, there are times when even the most easy-to-please foodie demands to dine in peace, feet well rested, good ambience and all. In the frenzy of New Road, unsurprisingly, there is a shortage of such places. Nearby Basantapur does boast of restaurants, lounge and bars, some of them dating back to the Freak Street days. But today they are places only frequented by young students who are on drinking binges while the sun is still high in the sky.
The newly opened Koyla Lounge and Bar seeks to fill that void. Right from the entrance (the elevator walks you straight into the restaurant located on the eight floor of a business complex on the town’s main street), it is the restaurant’s ambience that strikes the first-time visitor. Low tables and mats on one side, comfortable looking leather sofas on the other, and a fairly stocked bar at a corner, Koyla has got the lounge look down to a T. The seating area at the upper deck of the lounge is where you get the best view of the chaotic ‘Mandu cityscape, and if you are lucky you will find an empty table.
So far, so good. A quick look at the menu however confirmed my presumption that Koyla’s forte was more ambience than culinary. The menu, a combination of Sino-Nepali, Indian, and continental, had the favourites: chicken chilli, cheese balls, fish finger, et all. Which didn’t make this place different from thousands of others on the strip.
Like the owners, we were also not in a very adventurous mood, so we ordered what a group of Nepali girls sharing food would, lots of finger food: cheese finger (Rs 260), Mustang aloo (Rs 150) and chicken chilly (Rs 275) to start. Our first appetiser Mustang aloo took exactly 25 minutes to arrive. But, the others came up slightly faster. Koyla’s Mustang aloo is a plateful of big pieces of potato wedges, crisped, and sprinkled with masala. Though late to arrive, it had us all in good spirits. Our other two appetisers unfortunately failed to match it in taste, and while ingestible, were forgettable.
After a round of naked sunrises (Rs 200), we chose to order another safe bet: Prosciutto Pizza (Rs 340) which turned out to be cheese pizza with meager servings of ham. Again, eatable but didn’t generate any excitement at the table.
By the end of the meal, we knew we would be paying Koyla another visit soon, yes, despite the average offerings. Why not? The location is perfect, and prices are pocket friendly. Koyla is where you go when you need an equidistant place for all your friends to gather, when the food is less important as the view and company.
How to get there: Walk straight from New Road Gate. Koyla Lounge and Bar is located on the eighth floor of the Kesha Plaza, opposite Ratna Park Paun Bhandar.