“Definitely worth a visit”: Momo’s, Lime Street, reviewed

It may not come as much of a surprise, but I had never tried Nepalese food until I visited Momo’s.

I was curious about it because, like anywhere else on earth, the geography of a place and its neighboring states bleeds into the character of the cuisine.

The French in Strasbourg love sausages and sauerkraut, or why you can’t walk five minutes in Albania without stumbling upon a gyro.

So if Nepal is located in the northeast of India, climbing into Tibet towards China, does that mean its cuisine is somewhere in the middle?

I made the arduous trek from Lime Street station and up the steep stairs of the Liverpool Brewing Company to Momo’s to see for myself.

It’s a strange feeling to walk into a bar, through it, and straight upstairs for some other purpose, like a backroom meeting where you end up with some unsavory guys playing poker and eating takeaway sandwiches.

Although nearly as discreet, Momo’s is thankfully a much more wholesome affair, with information on what to expect on every corner of the stairs; a warm and welcoming Nepalese meal.

I let the older couple pass by the stairs. “Have you been?” said the husband. “No, I’m here to try it,” I said.

“We love it.”

It’s a refreshingly low-key affair upstairs, like any low-key but beloved lunch spot; no real glitz or frills, just a clean and tidy look and the comforting sound of something hissing.

They have a good deal with the downstairs bar; drink there with a Momo’s meal, eat upstairs with a pint from the bar, whichever way you choose. To get the full feel of Momo’s, I took a seat upstairs.

When Lime Street is busy, it’s nice to sit above it, out of the loop, but looking out over the gorgeous Edwardian facade of The Vines pub, standing statically over the road.

I sat and looked at the menu, which had a straightforward combination of street food for mains and a few chef’s specialties alongside the main event of momos – Nepali dumplings filled with minced meat, vegetables and spices – either steamed or pan-fried, or Kothe momoboth.

As I usually do when trying something new, I opted for a classic: chicken momos (£5), an appetizer of sorts and a good way to get to know what Momo’s is all about; main course in capsicum and chilli sausage (£6) and a side with peanut sadheko salad (£6).

Although there was the option of a pint downstairs, I wanted chiya tea (£3).

The momos arrived nicely arranged with red onion, pomegranate seeds and a warming chili-like sauce in the middle. The dumplings were filled with well-seasoned minced chicken, vegetables, ginger, garlic and spices and were up to the standard you’d expect from a place that named itself after them. The mince was steamed just the right amount, still retaining the moisture provided by the good fatty ground meat, but not remotely wet. Six to yourself might be a stretch, but I’d share these as an appetizer and be prepared for more from the menu.

Next up was the chili sausage; made with chicken, sauteed with onions and peppers and stir-fried in Momo’s homemade chili sauce, then topped with more red onions and pomegranates. The sight of so many chili seeds made me prepare for a little match with this dish, but I was wrong. The spice was somewhere between fiery East Asian notes that sit high in the mix and make the eyes water, and the much more warming slow burn of South Asian spices, leaning a little closer to the latter, but then this was the first time. Everything is new to me.

Meanwhile, the salad was something I expected – in my ignorance – to be similar to the Southeast Asian fish sauce-heavy salads that I love so much, which also center around the peanuts. This was a bright and fresh tasting salad with roasted peanuts, cucumber, onion, tomato and cilantro and seasoned with chili powder, cumin and lemon juice. The spices made this something very different than I expected, but it certainly didn’t disappoint. My only comment would be that it was huge, but then that’s my order. Again, it could be for two if you’re clever but not ready to chew your legs off the table.

Places like Momo’s and their awkward locations mean you can walk by twice a day for two years and only sort of notice it or not at all.

Then one day you pop into Liverpool Brewing Company for a quick bite and ask what’s upstairs. They say it’s a Nepali street food restaurant and you can eat it here with a pint if you want?

“Nepali street food,” you say back to them. “I’ve never tried that before.”

It is definitely worth a visit.

Momon72 Lime Street, L1 1JN