Shimbu, Brunswick East (by invitation) by Obelix

Tibetan food is a new thing for me.  I've pretty much tried all the cuisines from the neighbouring countries:  Nepalese, Indian, Burmese to name a few, so it was with much eagerness we descended on Shimbu, a restaurant and bar owned by Tenzin and his family.  Shimbu in Tibetan means delicious as well as highly pleasing to the senses.  It is an apt name for this family run restaurant.  Much love and care has been poured into it's establishment.  Tenzin and his father man the kitchen whilst his mum and daughter take care of the front of house with warm Tibetan hospitality.

Food-wise, Shimbu does traditional Tibetan fare as well as modern takes on the traditional such as pork belly tacos (yum!) but I'm here to experience traditional Tibetan fare so I've earmarked the modern interpretations for my next visit (forward planning is my forte!).


Good ole traditional Tibetan fare...


I've heard so much about the popular momos, the Tibetan dumplings.  At Tenzin's recommendation, we tried the fried Tsel Momos (vegetarian dumplings).  These were moreish little bundles with a curry filling like a samosa but with a bao like wrapper which is deep fried.  So good.  So addictive.


The tsel nazom tasted as pretty as it looked.  Crunchy veggies stir fried with ginger and garlic.  P who is normally a vehement carnivore was loving the crispiness of the veggies.  I don't think I've ever seen him voluntarily eat greens with such enjoyment.


The marmo bedhai was a lovely aromatic coconut curry with tender chicken pieces.  It wasn't fiery but had more of a fragrant mellowness.  It was very similar to Burmese style curries I have had in the past.  Really lovely served with coconut rice and buttered roti.


The buttered roti was a perfect companion to the curry.  It was very similar to a Malaysian styled roti chanai in terms of thinness and flakiness versus a denser Indian styled roti.  Get the buttered ones rather than the standard ones for it lends such a yummy richness to it.


As full to capacity as we were, we could not turn down the opportunity to try one of the traditional Tibetan desserts, deysee.  These were perfect for the cold winter's night.  Deysee were little warm rice puddings with coconut, dried fruit and nuts.  It also had a slight saltiness to undercut the sweetness. If you are partial to salted caramel and the like, give deysee a go.


Shimbu is a licensed bar but being a teetotaller, I stuck with my little pot of green tea.  Perfect with the deysee.

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

I've enjoyed expanding my culinary horizans at Shimbu.  Tibetan food is an aromatic almagation of familiar cuisines.  The hospitality at Shimbu is warm and friendly.  I'm looking forward to returning to try out the more modern interpretations on the menu.

Find it at

Shimbu Tibetan Restaurant and Bar
58 Lygon St
Brunswick East
phone: 0405 319 161