Taste

A quick trip through Saino’s exotic blend

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Saino’s food packs powerful flavors.
Photo: Steve Marcus
Jason Harris

It only makes sense to focus on the Nepalese dishes at Saino Indian-Nepali Kitchen, since that cuisine is difficult to find anywhere in the U.S. Those making their first foray into the fare should start with steamed vegetarian momos, ($6.50) dumplings filled with potato, onion and cabbage with a sesame sauce worth slathering all over. Continue with the thali, an array of small dishes on one plate ($18.50 vegetarian or $21 not). The veggie version features aalu chop as an appetizer—potato dumplings that resemble samosas. Aalu taamaa covers the soup component, highlighted by black-eyed peas, potatoes, bamboo shoots and a variety of spices. Gundruk sadeko, some of the more interesting fermented veggies you’ll ever taste, hits both sour and spicy notes. For dessert, head for the Indian section for gulab jamun ($2.75), a sort of doughnut hole dipped in syrup. And you can always rely on the ubiquitous Indian lunch buffet ($9.95) to try dishes both familiar and new.

Saino Indian-Nepali Kitchen 4860 W. Desert Inn Road, 702-685-8928. Daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5-10:30 p.m.

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