Feeling at Home at dawa's
Jeremy's rating: ★★★★☆
I don't generally care all that much about a place's decor, but dawa's so homey that you can't help but compliment it. The astounding quality of the Himalayan noms certainly helps you feel like you stumbled upon something truly delightful, too.
Jen's rating: ★★★★☆
While these weren't my favorite momos (head to Jackson Heights for the best of the best), I had to give dawa's a hearty two thumbs up purely for the remainder of their ethnic dishes. Get ready for just the right amount of spice and plenty of that buttery and comforting Himalayan/Nepalese cuisine.
The vegetable momos, filled with yu-choy green, potatoes, and spices.
Behind the momos, you can spot the buttercup squash soup, served with toasted wild chives and buckwheat crepes.
Since winter has decided to stick around for a bit longer, the cold weather gave us an excuse to stay close to home and spend more time exploring our own borough of Queens. Woodside has been high on our list of neighborhoods to visit due to it's high level of diversity; walking just a few blocks you'll find yourself passing an Irish pub, an Italian bakery, a Mexican restaurant, and Chinese take-out.
We decided to meet up with some of Jeremy's family to grab brunch and it was my choice, which was exciting but also nerve-wracking ("Oh God, what if no one like the place I picked and then they shun me forever as a loser with horrible taste".) Lately I've found myself getting bored with the usual brunch suspects - regardless of quality - so I decided we should all adventure to dawa's for some Himalayan and Nepalese cuisine.
The mushroom toast (oyster, shittake mushroom, and egg) with a side salad.
The Bhutanese style slow cook pork with fermented bamboo shoots, ginger, scallions, dried chillies (with a side of fluffy, delicious who-knows-what).
The atmosphere was quaint, cozy, and crowded with mismatching tables and chairs. It screamed, "Instagram me!"
Boy, did my stomach steer us in the right direction. First the vegetable momos gave me a solid high five. Then the soft buckwheat crepes wrapped around soft chunks of buttercup squash melted my face off. A glimpse of the mushroom toast, which revealed a soft-boiled egg in the middle, caught me pleasantly off guard. An extra fatty piece of slow-cooked pork knocked me off my chair and I found myself lying on the ground in complete and utter food happiness. Finally, the spice from the stir fried noodles brought my back onto my feet and boy, what a meal it was.
It's worth the trip to Woodside, alright. We can't wait to explore the rest of this underrated neighborhood with bright eyes and empty stomachs.
