Highs and lows in The Everest Kitchen

It's easy to be charmed by The Everest Kitchen. With its mango-hued warmth; a mural of the Himalayas; and an endearing, chatty owner, you want so much to fall in love.

The Shoreline restaurant lures diners with a Tibetan and Nepalese menu, and the warm, friendly vibe set by owner Mohan Gurung makes it a place where the owner knows your face, if not your name.

It's refreshing to be asked if it's your first time at the restaurant and where you're from. But the service can feel almost too comfortable, like when Gurung persuaded us not to order a lamb-jerky dish, saying the meat was probably too chewy for us. He also seemed concerned we wouldn't like a Tibetan sweet bread.

We were steered toward choices like the marinated Lamb Sekuwa ($10.95) and Chicken Momo ($8.95), Tibetan dumplings that turned out to be a garlicky delight. Other dishes we tried were clearly fresh with distinct, enticing spicing.

You also can experiment with Syaphale ($7.95), ground meat and herbs wrapped in dough; Chicken Chilly ($10.95), a spicy dish with battered chicken; and an extensive number of Indian choices.

The food is enjoyable and much of it good, especially when accompanied by mugs of milky, unsweetened chai.

There was some miscommunication over our order which led to a rather slow evening, but complimentary crisp lamb samosas.

It was just one visit, but The Everest Kitchen feels like the kind of place where the quirkiness can make or break the experience. If nothing else, it's a place to indulge in cuisine culled from mountainous regions and to fantasize about treks where you can try the food firsthand.

Lamb Sekuwa: Marinated chunks of lamb, sealed with flavor, are baked with onions in a clay oven for this Nepalese dish. Presentation with some lettuce was basic, but the lamb was tender and nicely cooked.

Chicken momo: Try these generous handmade dumplings for a delicious filling redolent with garlic, ginger, parsley and cumin seed. The filling is cradled by fresh, chewy wrappers and accompanied by a cooling achaar (Nepalese pickle).

Gobi naan: The naan comes steaming hot and fresh. The mild, satisfying bread is layered with a spare amount of seasoned cauliflower, and we were left craving a touch more of the vegetable.

Nicole Tsong: ntsong@seattletimes.com