Momo Souls

🇳🇵 NEPAL / QUICK FIX: The city's momo population continues to grow, this time Palms and the Westside are the beneficiaries of the Himalayan treat.

🇳🇵 NEPAL
📍 3500 Overland Avenue,
Palms, Westside
🅿️ Small plaza with parking
🥤 No Alcohol
🌱 Vegetarian Friendly

📸 All photos by Jared Cohee
for Eat the World Los Angeles

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The influences of the Himalayan region of South Asia are growing stronger in Los Angeles. With a food trailer recently opened in Northridge and this brand new shop in Palms, the places to find the spherical dumplings of Nepal have seemingly doubled.

You might be able to tell just from the restaurant’s name that Momo Souls is going for something a little more than just traditional Nepalese cooking. Their shop and menu also exude youth, possibly the work of the “next generation” as so many restaurants are in Los Angeles.

Momo Souls also has enough South Asian favorites that almost any type of customer will be satisfied, even if their exposure to Himalayan food is limited. This is probably the right decision, at least until momo joints are everywhere and the city knows them as well as tacos.

With the corner spot in the plaza at Palms Blvd. and Overland Avenue, it would seem like the perfect spot, but the tiny text in front will be hard to see by anyone passing in a car. Hopefully they get some momo-themed murals up soon to draw attention.

You may not think such a high altitude country like Nepal would have fresh sugarcane juice, but the people have many things in common with their neighbors in India. On this visit, two small complimentary cups were brought over to enjoy before the meal.

The focus seems to be on the many types of momos they offer rather than the typical dumplings with typical sauces. Scan past these if you are looking for the classic momo ($13.99, below), which are available steamed or fried with chicken, vegetables, or vegan.

There are also many options for sauces, which adds quite a bit of decision to a momo order. The closest option they seem to have to a classic momo dipping sauce is the tomato chili, which is listed last with a fire emoji next to it. This is a must for at least one of the two sauces that you are able to select with each order.

These chicken versions above were seemingly made to order, taking about 15 minutes or so and arriving extremely hot from the steamer. The filling is flavorful enough to enjoy without sauces, but dipping them into each of the bowls that manage to find their way to your table is too fun to resist.

On this quick visit, the Himalayan fried rice ($14.99, above) was also tempting. Similar flavors are also available in the Himalayan chowmein, but this purposefully dryer than usual rice dish was a great snack. It is also the perfect way to enjoy a variety of some of their other chutneys with mint and cilantro.

Of the four, the masala sweet chili sauce may have been enjoyed the most on the day. It paired perfectly with both the momos and fried rice and would probably be a good companion for much of the menu here. The saucy momos with butter masala, Afghani cashew cream, and tandoori yogurt will be looked forward to on the next visit.

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