Momo Ghar – 568 Parliament St, Toronto, ON M4X 1P6
Country: Tibet       
Must-try dish: Tandoori Chicken Momo
Seating: Indoor seating only. 
Dinner guests: Dancing Queen, Millionaire Max & Ryhy
The high: There’s an epic selection of momos available for all palates. 
The low: They don’t take reservations and there’s a constant stream of people coming in, so get there early if you’re a larger group than two people. 

The bulk of Tibetan restaurants in Toronto are on a strip in Parkdale called Little Tibet, except for Momo Ghar that is. It’s housed in a colourful basement space on Parliament Street in the same neighbourhood as several other international restaurants from all corners of the globe. It’s also one of the busiest places on the street. 

Although their specialty is obvious in the name of the restaurant, Momo Ghar’s menu has alternative options of popular street food from the region, and you certainly can’t go wrong with a mango lassi to kick the meal off. 

Momos
Not surprisingly, Momo Ghar is all about the momos, which are Tibetan dumplings with meat, vegetables, or dairy filling, and they’re either steamed, pan fried, or deep-fried. They’re a prominent fixture in street food stalls all over Tibet, India, and Nepal. 

The Pan-Fried Pork Momo is a classic that’ll always please a crowd. This was our reliable pick of the extensive momo selection. The filling is seasoned ground pork inside the small pocket that’s then cooked for a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. Alternatively, the Steamed Mattar Paneer Momo is stuffed with cheese and green peas and served with a curry mayonnaise sauce. Any cheese lover would be all over this one. The paneer takes on a ricotta-like texture and goes perfectly with a dipping sauce to spice things up. 

The specialty momo section made decision-making a little more complicated because of the variety of options of sauce combinations that all sounded delicious. The hit of the evening were the Tandoori Chicken Momos, which were a last minute addition from a recommendation made by the server. We loved it so much that we ordered another round. The momos are dressed with a savoury sauce topped with mint, cilantro and onion. 

The Chili Momos are doused in a sweet, salty, and spicy sauce with options for filling of beef, pork, chicken, paneer, or cabbage. They’re all served in the same way with the same level of sauce, but you pick the filling option that interests you the most. Whereas the Jhol Momos come in a bowl surrounded by a soup made of sesame oil, chili oil, and cilantro with your choice of the usual fillings: beef, pork, chicken, cheese, or cabbage. 

Momos are such an individual preference depending on spice tolerance, filling choice, and cooking style. You pick the way that best suits your palate and you’ll be happy with what you get! 

Other Eats
Aside from momos, there are a number of small plates, noodles, and meat dishes in order to switch things up from the dumplings. The Wai Wai Chaat is a tangy regional dish that is made with crispy raw ramen style noodles with fresh tomatoes and onion. It’s a zesty and refreshing plate compared to the rest of the dishes on the menu. Aloo Chaat is a potato pancake commonly found at street stalls for a snack. It’s a mosaic of flavours – cilantro, tomatoes, tamarind, onions, yogurt, and potatoes of course. It’s perfect to share but would be heavy for one person to eat alone. 

It was love at first sight with the sizzling Beef Short Ribs, a plate made up of fall-off the bone meat marinated in tangy sauce and then cooked all the way to the table. This was a great option to diversify the order from the rest of the dishes, and it was delicious. 

The Gyuma Sausage is a Tibetan delicacy traditionally made with yak meat, and is more commonly known in the west as a blood sausage. The meat is fragrant with ginger, garlic, and onion. For some it’s too strong of a meat flavour, but others adore it. Try it, and see how your taste buds react! 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)