Chitwan Taas @ Jomsom Nepalese Restaurant
33 Dovedale Rd, Allerton, L18 5EP
Sometimes you eat somewhere and think “just wait until everyone finds out about this”. The food is so good, the restaurant is so packed, you know soon it’ll become almost impossible to get a table there.
This was the case the fantastic May’s Thai Kitchen which, despite being on the far-from-fashionable Dingle end of Aigburth Road, taking only cash and not being registered with any of the food delivery apps, was constantly thronging with customers.
May’s relocated a couple of years ago to much more glamourous premises in Childwall, and the crowds of diners seeking liquorice-scented holy basil chicken and red curry with sweet green peas have followed.
Jomsom, a cosy Nepalese restaurant on Dovedale Road, feels like somewhere on the same trajectory
To be clear, I’m already very late to the party. I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve recommended I come and eat here. And during our visit, on an early Tuesday evening in mid-November, the place is absolutely packed.
It’s easy to see why. Every single thing we ordered here was excellent — from the pani puri (bitesize gram flour shells filled with tamarind-soaked chaat) to the rajma (a deeply-flavoured but surprisingly light dhal of red kidney beans) to the mula ko achar (bright yet earthy yellow radish pickle).
In all their various forms, momos are undoubtedly the stars of the Jomsom kitchen. There’s an entire side of the menu dedicated to them — half-fried half-steamed kothey momo, masala-tossed sadheko momos, jhol momos floating in spicy broth. Even salt and pepper momos (we are in Liverpool, after all).
The dumplings are uniformly fantastic, however the highlight of the menu for has to be the Chitwan Taas. It’s a plate of thinly sliced lamb pieces, crusted with ginger and Sichuan pepper, served with a sharp green chilli chutney and crisp, airy bhuja (puffed rice).
Momos are approaching ubiquity — to the extent that South Asian restaurants of all types are starting to serve them — but Taas is a dish I’ve not seen available anywhere else in town. Hopefully, like Jomson itself, it’s soon something everyone will be wanting to try for themselves.
