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Gyakok is a complex dish that the chef needs two hours to prepare, so calling (01-4488188) the restaurant ahead of time is highly recommended. As we waited for the highlight of our evening, we tried sokrul (Rs 280) and chicken chili with olive oil (Rs 250) as starters.
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Sokrul, shredded beef fried in tempura batter, was soft and tender but a little dry. A dash of lemon could have worked wonders. The chicken chili too was not quite up to the mark. The sauce in which the chicken was marinated had not completely soaked in, so the layers of flavour were missing and by the time our tongues journeyed into the centre of the chicken, it was quite bland.
Our second round of orders – mushroom fried with white and red sauce (Rs 350), sweet and sour pork (Rs 380), and a bowl of rice (Rs 150) – made a better impression. The mushroom was very well-done: the sauce had the right thickness, and the combination of white and red wines was exquisite and easy on the palate. The juicy cubes of pork (fat-in) lathered in thick, tangy honey and lemon sauce with diced pineapple, capsicum, and onion were ideal for sweeping up what remained of our rice.
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Just as we were savouring the last pieces of pork fat, our much-awaited fare arrived. The chicken broth was bought to us in a copper pot with a chimney-like opening on top, and a burner at the bottom through which a constant flame brought the soup to a boil. We had a large selection of ingredients to dunk into the soup: cellophane noodles, tofu, bok choy, chopped cauliflower, potato, carrots, beans, black mushrooms, prawns, fish balls, and boiled eggs. Cooked and consumed over a long time, the gyakok allows a relaxed dinner with long conversations. We put in the ingredients and refilled our bowls throughout the evening as the soup continued to simmer silently on its own.
Now I can't really say what real hot pot cooked in a Tibetan household tastes like, but having had gyakok at a few other restaurants, I can vouch that Shangri-La Kitchen's was by far the best. With no MSG or readymade generic masalas, the soup is strained twice which makes it very light and extremely healthy.
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Shangri-La Kitchen is an oasis in the otherwise cacophonous Boudha and my only complaint is its slow service. Other than that, the servers are extremely friendly, and the head chef Laxman Bhandari will even sit down to have a chat.
How to get there: From Chabahil chowk, take the road that goes to Boudhanath stupa. You will see Hotel Tibet International on the right-hand side just a few blocks before the main gate of the stupa.