Baps Nepalese Restaurant, 589 Gilbert Road, Preston. Phone: 0451 305 779

Calling this outing a Friday night thriller might be a bit of a stretch.

Nonetheless, we are rapt to be heading off to Preston with CTS pals Josh and Eliza.

They dined at Baps a while back and Bennie and I are only too happy to go along for the ride of a second visit as back-seat passengers buoyed by their enthusiasm.

We find – in the form of a lovely meal – that their bubbliness is entirely warranted.

 

 

Baps is located in a smallish shopping precinct with not a lot of Friday night action going on.

I strongly suspect Preston is a foodie haven, but our random and only occasional visits leave us largely unenlightened about the foodiness of the suburb as a whole.

But there’s no doubt about Baps – it is good.

The dining room is bright and cheerful, the menu (see below) features mostly dishes we expect based on our limited contact with Nepalese food, the service is fine and the wait times just right for the food we are served.

 

 

Of course, we have momo!

These vegetarian specimens ($9.95) and …

 

 

… these goat momo ($12.95) are both fine, though the latter are a tad more chewy and an equal tad non-tasty than I’d prefer.

The goat momo photo is one shy of a full serve because Josh snaffled one before I could get there with my camera.

 

 

Another Nepalese staple – I suspect it could even be referred to as the national dish – is chow mein.

This vegetarian version ($9.95) is just right – unoily, light and a treat to eat.

The big hit of the night, for me anyway, is the achaar ($5.95, top photo).

Less vinegary and spicy than we we’re familiar from Malaysian eateries, this is dynamite.

The vegetables are crunchy and the dressing is such that the dish reminds me of the sort of potato salad often served in the southern parts of the US.

 

 

Chilli chicken ($10.95) is more along the lines of an Indo-Chinese dish you might find in West Footscray.

This one is oily – but that goes with this territory.

We all like it anyway!

 

 

The lamb curry ($12.95) is, well, just lamb curry.

But please don’t read that as a flip dismissal – it’s fine and just right when matched with our other selections. It’s of mild spiciness

 

 

Do we have room for dessert?

Yes.

The gulab jamun ($3.95) are lovely.

 

 

The milk-based rasvari ($3.95) are a hit with my friends, but the mealy texture doesn’t work for me.

Still, it’s been a fine dinner with friends.

Check out the Baps website here.