Restaurant Review - Grill Me Kathmandu
That-Man was excited. We were on our way to a restaurant where meat is served, and he was positively giddy at the prospect of a solid piece of meat on a plate. You see, meat in Kathmandu is either extremely expensive or not properly butchered, which is why most Nepali hosts will offer you hacked-up pieces of meat severely deep-fried or decidedly chewy, on the rare occasions that meat is indeed served. It had been close to three months since That-Man had had a solid chop or steak to himself, and he was justifiably looking forward to it.
Grill Me, a restaurant situated in the heart of the expat community in Patan, is located in what seems to have been a large house previously. The restaurant offers seating inside as well as outside. The log fires beckoned us, even though there was a chill in the air, and we were glad that we braved the temperatures. In the summer months we might have chosen differently, however.
While our waiter was attentive without hovering, the amount of time we waited for drinks were astonishing, considering there were only a few guests and the fact that we had ordered simple items.
The menu was scrutinized and eventually That-Man settled on pork chops, and i decided to have the salmon pasta. When the food arrived, we could see why this restaurant is a favourite of meat-lovers. The pork chops were juicy and aromatic, served with a creamy peppers sauce. Clearly, this was a feast of epic proportions for a meat-starved South African in Nepal. His name was officially changed to That-Man-who-had-an-awesome-piece-of-meat for three whole days after he had savoured these chops.
The pasta was, sad to say, not on par with our expectations. A generous helping of penne with just a smattering of cheese was served with about 5 slivers of salmon. Honestly, this item doesn’t deserve to be on the same menu as the pork chops. It certainly filled my belly, but if i'd known that the portion only included about 20g of fish, i would have made a different choice.
Our recommendation: Go to Grill Me only if you have already made up your mind to order meat, and only if you are carrying some large Rupee-notes in your pocket. Do not eat something else and do not be afraid to pay a large sum of money for this rare treat. Good grilled meat restaurants are not found on every corner in Kathmandu, so indulge once in a while, and absolutely indulge at Grill Me.
Tip: As with most restaurants in Kathmandu, keep in mind that 23% is added to your bill automatically. (13% Value Added Tax and 10% service charge), increasing it by about a quarter of the menu price.
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