Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

If you don't already know, Café Kathmandu is closing soon (but supposedly will reopen elsewhere later). For celiacs and vegans, this will probably be sad news because just about everything is gluten-free, and most of the menu is vegan. It's a cosy place with Himalayan decor that sets it a notch or two above a hole-in-the-wall. Maybe it's because the place is in it's final days and staffing is tricky when you're closing, they were busy on the floor and understaffed. Expect to have to call out to get someone's attention, and to have to be proactive about getting your bill. Best to just get off your ass and approach someone at the counter, really. Aaloo Achaar ($7) Chilled sesame-lemon potato salad flavoured with timmur (Himalayan peppercorns) and fenugreek. Served with chiuraa (crunchy beaten rice lightly toasted). Chiuraa is like tasteless cornflakes. Curious to try but I wouldn't order something just to get some. You could probably get away with...

If you've been to their sister restaurant Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen (a Mealshare supporter), you'll find Yak & Yeti quite a different experience. While a few items on the menu are the same, the rest is quite different. Price for portion is also pretty good and the filling entrees are $13-$16. It's a long and narrow restaurant, so if you have a larger party of 6+ persons, you'll definitely want to try to make a reservation so that they can move some tables around if necessary or reserve the U-shaped dining area at the very end that can accommodate maybe 6-8 persons. For my visit I opted for the two curious involves-fruit dishes but the momos, goat pickle, and masala fish were also quite good based on the feedback from the other diners in our group. Masala fish curry was served with brown rice, while jackfruit curry and goat pickle were served with white rice. Wings ($9)  Mango-mustard wings This had a tasty sauce on it, but it tasted neither like mango nor mu...