Cameleon - Freak Street`s very different type of reptile

KATHMANDU, Jan 2: It was the first day of Kathmandu’s official cold-snap and the streets were awash with the winter’s first rains. It had been a long and frost-bitten ride from the office to Freak Street, but the anticipation of the Cameleon’s famed chilly momos and Talumein soup kept my legs pumping. [break]






But having put their collective heads together, co-owners Reeka, Beepin and Mr Cool had other plans.



When you look at the menu, nothing really stands out as being all that different from the norm, with a wide range of Continental, Nepali, Newari, Tibetan, Indian, and Chinese dishes.



But the Cameleon is a constant work in progress, and the menu you receive as you languish like a ravenous tiger in its split-level, safari-like setting is not necessarily a complete representation of what the chef can prepare.






One starter which is listed on the menu is Mixed Non-Veg Snacks, a veritable smorgasbord of delicacies making the taste-buds of meat-lovers immediately stand to attention. Chicken drumsticks, fish fingers, buff sausage florets, pork titbits, chilly buff and an unusually peppery, but delightfully so, chhoila, with a creamy dipping sauce, the platter represents most meats.



Newari food is especially well done at Cameleon. But if Newari isn’t your style (and neither is meat for that matter), vegetarians out there will be far from disappointed. The Spinach Kofta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Rice is a great pick. While many menus may claim to use ‘fresh’ ingredients, this is one which lives up to the claim. Stepping away from the usual spices, the kofta’s bright sauce is more Mediterranean than eastern, the natural sweetness of the tomato richly offset by its many garden-fresh herbs.






It may be that some of the sweetness lingering on the lips could have been from the nip of honey raksi proffered by Beepin. Not listed on the menu, this is raksi for the ‘health-conscious’; high quality and imported liquor from nearby villages after meeting strict taste tests.



But the moment of truth arrived with the Whole Grilled Buhari Fish. It’s no mean feat to grill a whole fish to perfection, but, scored and minimalist with a sprinkling of cheese, carrot and flat-leaf parsley, the fish was so moist, even its bones almost melted in the mouth. Accompanied by a smattering of fries, butter vegetables, coleslaw, and a capsicum and tomato lit from within like jack-o-lanterns, the dish was as much a visual spectacle as it was a mouth-watering treat.






Despite its appeal, the fish, like the raksi, was also not listed in the menu.



Past experience choosing from the Cameleon menu has taught me anything will be good. Regardless, here comes the stern urging to all. Along with the unusual spin Cameleon puts on the usual dishes, comes the staff’s equally unusual ability to read minds and select the perfect dish for you. Always, always ask for their recommendation.



About Cameleon:



Previously known as the Mandarin, the Cameleon is still relatively new, its doors opening under the new name around a year ago. One of the century-old houses in Freak Street, the whole interior was revamped and the entire menu revised. Nepal is changing at an exponential rate, and the Cameleon is representative of this change; an opening up of creativity and possibility.



The Cameleon is a very different type of reptile. It can cater to all tastes, shift with all colors, and adapt to all backgrounds. And it is always exotic.



Business Hours: 9.00am to 9.00pm (daily)



Contact – 01-4233867



Beepin Shreshtha – +977 984 123 4085



Email – ecstaticbips@gmail.com



miriam@myrepublica.com