Panas Authentic Nepalese Restaurant

Just a short and thankfully very level trek west from Mile End railway station and the parklands, Panas Authentic Nepalese Restaurant offers Adelaide just what its name suggests, a rare taste of Himalayan cuisine done the sherpa way. There is a story behind the name, however. Nepalese tradition demands that a meal begin with the lighting of a panas, an oil lamp that acts to bless the table and the gathered diners. Undoubtedly, this is one restaurant that fuels the fires of fans of Asian subcontinental cuisine – everything about Panas breathes authenticity, but it’s the high-altitude food on offer that is the proper flag planted atop this lofty peak down Henley Beach Road.

Athiti devo bhaba, guests are God. This is the motto at Panas Authentic Nepalese Restaurant, and blessed indeed be those who enter this temple to Himalayan cuisine down Henley Beach Road. In-the-know Mile End locals have long understood that this is no mere Indian restaurant in Adelaide with a dash of Nepalese added as afterthought. The crew here are peerlessly versed in the culinary arts specific to Nepal, fashioning hearty dishes typical to the mountainous region with perfectly balanced blends of exotic ingredients like saffron, rose water, asafoetida and many other aromatic herbs and spices.

There’s perhaps no better place to start your exploration of Nepalese cuisine that with Panas’ selection of the head chef’s specials. The incredible bhaji set is a meticulously researched piece of gastronomy, drawing from the traditions of the Himalayan Newari tribe to present diners with a sumptuous platter of beaten-rice bhaji with marinated lamb and chicken, delicacies made from potato and bamboo shoots, marinated soybeans, lentils patties, plus mild and fiery pickles. Panas is also one of the best places in Adelaide to sample the Chinese-Nepalese-Indian dumplings known as momo, which we pick for a rising food trend. Sure-footed from Everest all the way through to Mile End, you can definitely get your goat curry on here, too, but be sure to ask for an accompaniment of traditional pickle – achaar – like the house special with fermented carrot, cauli or cabbage, baby cucumber and deceptively green chilli, or the very authentic gundruk achaar of spicy spinach.