The restaurant building came down in the earthquake but the Vesper House next door reopened to their loyal fans within days
Vesper Café and Restaurant has carved a soft spot in the hearts of Nepali and foreign patrons in the heart of Jhamsikhel, unfortunately the 25 April earthquake took down the beautiful red mud-brick building the restaurant was located in. Within days, the Vesper House next door reopened for business- catering to their loyal fans and providing a relaxing environment for people to unwind and enjoy a good meal.
It was a perfect move. Most restaurants in Jhamsikhel were still closed and people needed a place to unwind. Adding the original Vesper Café’s food menu brought in a new group of customers to the Vesper House, which earlier catered to wine and cheese lovers.
Set in a beautiful yellow bungalow, which was once a garage, the Vesper House specialises in wines from all over the world and provides a significantly sized wine cellar where you can buy wines to take home or enjoy with a pasta dish.
Claiming to be a fusion restaurant of Italian and Mexican, with a selection of sandwiches (Rs 340-570), Nepali staples such as chicken chilli (Rs 370) and some continental inspired entrees (Rs 350-2100): The Vesper House offers a selection of appetisers and entrees to suit various pallets and wallets.
We started our meal with a generic popular Mexican appetiser: Nachos (Rs 370), a delightful combination of tortilla chips covered in beans, chilli, cheese, olives and fresca salsa with a side of sour cream. The combination of the crunchy chips with fresh salsa was refreshing and the flavour was accentuated by the sour cream. This dish may appear small but is enough for 2-3 people. While satisfying, we all agreed it could have used a bit more cheese.
Our first entrée was the Smoked Chicken and Jalapeno Pepper pizza (Rs 695). This thin crust pizza came with generous chunks of sliced smoked chicken, lots of little pieces of olives and a sufficient amount of jalapeno peppers to give it just the right kick. The pizza was delicious and a reminder of the pizzas near a corner restaurant in a piazza in Italy. The thinness of the curst balanced the amount of toppings on it.
Our second entrée was Ravioli di Pollo (Rs 415), beautifully layered in a dish with a strong aroma of the white sauce. These little ravolis with chicken was covered with the most mouthwatering creamy sauce. It was rich and tasty, and the small portion was just enough to not overwhelm any food lover. The ravioli was impressive with the shell a tad bit al dente for our liking, but may be perfect for many.
The filling meal did not leave room for dessert but the Vesper House has a selection of homemade desserts ranging from raspberry cheese cake to panna cotta (both Rs 280), which will guarantee a trip back for most.
How to get there: Located on the restaurant row between DanRan and previous Vesper Café and Restaurant.
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