It's difficult to figure out why Nareko Sekuwa Ghar is such a popular eatery in Biratnagar. The two-storey restaurant would fail just about every hygiene inspection, it has dozens of cubicles for private dining that give it a slightly uncouth look and the ambience is not what you may call haute cuisine.

Still, it is difficult to find a table because Nareko is a serious eating place with no frills, and there is a carnivorous carnival here every evening.

Located just off Mahendra Chok on College Road Nareko's clientele is all of Biratnagar's movers and shakers- civil servants, businessmen, young men and women from Dharan enjoying a night out, a couple of female Japanese volunteers and even a group of boisterous Indian shopkeepers from across the border.

So, what is it that brings them here? The news has spread literally through word of mouth that Nareko serves the most mouth-watering barbecues, sekuwas and goat roast east of Nijgad. They believe in keeping things simple here: no rice, no tarkari, no desserts and other distractions. Just goat, goat and more goat. Goat innards fried, grilled goat, goat braised, goat boiled, goat liver fried, coagulated goat blood, goat brains, goat tripe, goat momos.

Nareko is not for the faint-hearted, yet we are surprised to hear that quite a few of the clients are vegetarian. Maybe the sight of so much meat got their goat. As a major concession to leaf eaters, management recently decided to introduce a potato dish.

"It's hard work feeding 400 people every day but service is quick and we have rapid turnaround," explains Shyam Bahadur Gautam (pictured), whose father Nare started the sekuwa shop 35 years ago when he migrated here from Kabhre.

Shyam employs 15 people, and the restaurant is open from 2-9PM. On an average day three goats are martyred, four on weekends. No other animals are served. If you want to decisively turn vegetarian, Nareko is a place to start. But if you just want to be made into a scapegoat, this is the place for you.

Kunda Dixit