Buff meat is always featured in a Newari bhoj. Though the party has chuira, bhatmas, gedagudi and achar’s combination; the bhoj is barely completed without that ‘Raanga ko masu’.
The meat and several dishes prepared from it have equally good sales in the streets. In Bhaktapur alone, it is hard to find shops that don’t serve buffalo meat. Be it bhuttan or chhoila, the people from that city prefer buff items to chicken and mutton.
The city that once had only a handful of restaurants boasts as a major food hub in the valley. Dinesh Shrestha recalls his experience of visiting Bhaktapur almost 15 years ago. He says, “Then, the place didn’t have many restaurants. On the contrary, today the same place is filled with coffee shops and khaja ghars.”
Krishna Suwal owns a restaurant at the west gate of Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Named ‘Kutumba Khaja’, the eatery serves different foods made from buff meat. “We serve chhoila, kachila, dyakala (gravy buff), takhala (big pieces of buff meat), bhuttan, sausage and sekuwa,” Suwal shares his restaurant’s menu. Not only buff items, Kutumba Khaja also serves Newari Khaja Set, samaybaji, bara, chatamari, yomari and various other chicken items.
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The place is loved by both locals and tourists in search of a good place and some tasty food. “Not only locals, but tourists also come and enjoy tasting the food we serve.”
As Kutumba Khaja has a diverse menu set, the place is packed most of the times. Suwal comments that the eatery is even more packed during Saturdays as more people travel to Bhaktapur to enjoy their weekend. He adds, “We are so busy and active on Saturday that we have no time to rest. The orders are consistently placed- one after the other.”
Of all Kutumba Khaja’s items, choila is the most famous food. People normally enjoy it with beers at that restaurant. According to Suwal, “As soon as a new person enters the gate of our restaurant, they ask if we serve choila or not. It happens almost every time.” Suwal also said that people’s craze for buttan is more or less the same as for choila.
People are also a big-time fanatics of the restaurant. Dinesh Shrestha said that everyone would want to avoid other places after they enter Kutumba Khaja. Likewise, Aamita Maharjan says that she always comes to Kutumba Khaja whenever she’s in Bhaktapur. She adds, “My friend brought me to this place. It’s always packed but I always wait for my turn. The food is so good.”
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