The Ship Restaurant and Bar in Thamel has the potential to become the next Nanglo. Operative word: ‘potential’. While Thamel conjures up trendy and hip places, The Ship is a neat little house tucked away in the northern most outposts of the tourist area and has quite the Jhamel vibe to it.
After hearing much about it and seeing its place at #2 on Trip Advisors ‘Best Restaurants’ of Kathmandu list, we headed out to explore and have a quiet dinner. We were curious to find out if it lived up to its reputation.
The menu did not quite reflect the promise shown by the tastefully-decorated interior, and had your average Continental, Indian and Chinese cuisines. But we quickly dove in and ordered Mushroom Bruschetta (Rs 280), Sausage Wrapped in Bacon (Rs 330),and Cheese Balls (Rs 260) for appetisers. Out of these, the cheese was fluffy and light and melted readily in the mouth at first bite. The Bruschetta on the other hand had the perfect toppings, but was placed on top of regular bread which didn’t quite work.
To take some heat off a stuffy monsoon evening , all of us decided to have fruit smoothies (Rs 190), which had only a hint of fruit and tasted much like your average Lassi.
Because we were so full with the appetisers, all of us decided to share our mains between Grilled Chicken (Rs 550) and Pork Chops (Rs 550). Between the two, the chicken was cost-effective and fulfilled its promise. With large proportions, the dish also had sides of sautéed veggies that were cooked to perfection and fries that could have been a tad slimmer but were a mouthful. The chicken was tender, crisp on the outside, and was juicy enough to go along with the pepper sauce.
Even though we were getting stuffed, we decided to go for the Apple Crumble (Rs 290) for desert, and immediately discovered it wasn’t such a good idea. The crumble was deconstructed and finely presented, but the use of packaged yellow custard was a bit of a letdown.
What The Ship lacks in culinary excellence, it more than makes up for with its personal service and modern décor. Each table is equipped with a bell to call for a waiter just like in a government office. One can imagine why, given the vast seating arrangement right up from its rooftop, down to the second floor where there are personal cabins for bigger dining groups, and the ground floor with its bar.
If you are looking for a cosy place to conduct your next business meeting or just hang out, without very high gastronomic expectations, we recommend you
try out this place.
How to get there: The Ship is located on the left side of the galli leading to Thamel from Lainchaur (the back of Hotel Malla).
Photos: Karma Gurung