ith the amount of crazed gentrify going on in Parkdale, it’s great to see a place open up that represents a part of the population that actually lives there. In June, the Tibetan community was treated to a resto that represents their culinary needs. The spot that used to play host to The Swallow and a short-lived Mexican restaurant is now the latest addition to Parkdale Queen strip.

Upon arrival, my guest and I are pleasantly greeted into what seems like a warm and quaint room that has about eight tables. It exudes the Tibetan culture without a pretentious allure and why should it? This is Parkdale after all. The room is decorated with beautiful photos (including a picture of the Dalai Lama over the fridge beside the cash) of all things from the motherland along with an eye catching stripe around the room of green, red and yellow. Our server tells us that these are the colours that are used in the temple. The ambient music gives off a feel that a yoga session will soon be on its way.

We start off with the vegetable spring rolls ($2.99) that come with a “special” kind of dipping sauce. A saucer with neat rows of what looks like French’s Mustard (?), ketchup and plum sauce that taste like the stuff you get from any Chinese take out restaurant. We then follow that up with a small bowl Khatsa Kha-kyur Thang (Chicken Hot and Sour soup - $2.99), which is actually really delicious. It’s got a great consistency with generous portions of chicken.
Next up is Shae Mo (dumplings) also referred to as Mo-mos. Just think, what patty’s are to Jamaican’s, Mo-mo’s are to Tibetans. We have an order of Shae Mo Tak-wa (pan fried beef dumplings - $5.99), which is really good. The shell of the dumplings is flaky with a tasteful chewy texture and the beef is delicately flavoured with the scallions.

We proceed with an order of Tsey Tofu (sautéed tofu with mixed vegetables - $6.99), which is well prepared with vegetables that maintain their crunch in the semi-thick sauce. The only drawback is that even though the hot sauce at the end of the table was a welcome addition to the rather bland dish, it would have been nice if it were a little more flavourful.