Food,Food,Food

This weekend my boyfriend suggested we try something new to eat, so I figured I might as well go for it. He said he wanted to go to Snow Lion, and although I was apprehensive, he said it was going to be similar to Thai food and I would probably like it. I also knew since it wasn’t far from downtown, its located at 4th and Grant, we could walk around after we ate. We first walked in and it was a little dimmer than I expected, but the different decorative pieces all over the place made up for that. It was very colorful and artistic looking, I almost felt like I was in a home in India or Tibet. There were some photos and memorabilia of the Dalai Lama of Tibet, which I later found out was the uncle of the owner of the restaurant. The mood was very calm inside, with music that sounded to be from the areas of India or Tibet. I could also hear water running from a fountain while I ate, which was quite calming. It was a little strange when we first sat down because there are mirrored walls, so I kept seeing someone stare at me, and then remembering I was looking into a mirror.
Every entrée comes with an option of having chicken, pork, shrimp or keeping it vegetarian style. I decided to get the most popular dish they serve, Jasha Thupka, which is chicken and vegetables with egg noodles. I was asked how spicy I wanted it, from one to five, and I went with a one—not being extremely adventurous in these situations. I noticed that most of the dishes include lots of vegetables, which surprised me because I read that this cuisine typically doesn’t have vegetables since they are very scarce in those areas. Traditionally, this type of food is made with a lot of fat, but because it is slightly Americanized so less fat is used and more vegetables are included (TravelChinaGuide.com).
Since all the entrees are served with tea and salad, our waiter brought us our salads and told us to enjoy the house dressing. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it because I thought it might be really spicy, but it actually tastes a lot like Ranch dressing. The tea tasted like a mixture between warm sweet milk and a chai latte from Starbucks. After doing some reading, it seemed like it was a traditional sweet milk tea. It is made from black tea, sugar and warm milk, which is why it tasted sort of like chai tea (TravelChinaGuide.com). I thought it was really good, although I did have to continue mixing it up to get rid of the light film on top. The second cup I had didn’t have a film at all because I drank it down too quickly! My entree came out rather quickly, and it was heaping with food. I ate most of it, but I’m not sure I would order it again. I expected it to be a little sweeter than it was, and it actually was a bit spicier than I like. My boyfriend ordered a dish that had rice, vegetables and chicken, but it was far too spicy for me to enjoy. I know he enjoyed it though because Snow Lion is one of his favorite restaurants.
I think I would definitely go back again, and next time just order a different dish. I also think I would go with more of an open mind because I kind of imagined it was going to have a Thai flavor, and that may have influenced my perception of the food. It was not extremely expensive, most dishes ranged from between $7 and $12, and already included the salad and tea. I really liked the ambiance, the waiter was helpful and the food was served relatively quickly. All in all, I think I can say I enjoy some parts of Tibetan and Indian cuisine. This post is my response to the Restaurant Visit Project.