2 weeks Ago By Maddie Seiler The Sentinel
So I went to heaven on Wednesday. Its address is 1960 Spring Road in North Middleton Township. Momo Heaven opened in February, offering a selection of Indo-Chinese and Nepali cuisines, according to its Facebook page .
In addition to its namesake, the menu totes a variety of curry, salads and other dishes, featuring chicken, fish, goat, lamb and more. Momo Heaven is located at 1960 Spring Road in North Middleton Township, featuring a variety of Indo-Chinese and Nepali cuisines. My dad, who has an intense aversion to curry, opted to sit this one out, but my boyfriend, Jacob, joined me for this month's venture.
The dining room is small, but open, with booths lining the teal-washed walls. Music videos sang from a wall-mounted television, and wall of greenery is topped with a neon sign that announces the restaurant's name. While quiet when Jacob and I arrived, business picked up throughout our meal as people trickled in and took their seats.
Drink options range from the usual sodas and lemonade to green tea, masala chai and lassis, a yogurt-based beverage. On the appetizer side, the selection includes samosas, chicken "chilli," several rice options, chicken wings, onion rings and, the most intriguing in my opinion, a chicken lollipop. The menu features a variety of soups, salads and subs, along with an entire section specifically designated for momo, or dumplings.
Customers can select between veggie momo and chicken momo, with steam, jhol, chilli, sizzler and fried options. Aside from momo, other menu sections consist of taas, curry, lamb, goat fish, biryani, fried rice, tandori bread and more. Sides like rice, plain yogurt, mango "chatney" and others can be paired with main courses, and a children's menu offers chicken nuggets and French fries for young (or picky) eaters.
Several dessert options, including rice pudding and mango kulfi, a traditional Indian frozen treat, allow customers to finish off their meal with something sweet. Paneer chilli at Momo Heaven in North Middleton Township includes crunchy cheese bites marinated in spices and mixed with onions and other vegetables. I ordered a mango lassi ($3.
99) to drink, along with an appetizer of Paneer Chilli ($14.99). While fascinated by the concept of a chicken lollipop, I didn't want a chicken appetizer and main dish.
The Paneer chilli consisted of crunchy cheese bites marinated in spices and mixed among slivers of onions and other veggies. With an option to make it as spicy as I wanted, you already know I opted for mild. Jacob said it first when the vibrant red dish arrived at our table: "That looks really spicy.
" I uneasily agreed, but in spite of the appetizer's fire-engine hue, we found it to be quite mild indeed with hardly any heat. In fact, as a self-proclaimed spice-wimp, I think I could have turned up the temperature a bit and enjoyed it even more. The cheese, coated in a thin exterior crust, had a tofu-like consistency, making for a light and pleasant starter.
A mango lassi is one of several drink options at Momo Heaven in North Middleton Township. As for the lassi, which seemed huge, the thick, orange beverage resembled a smoothie. While the taste was sweet and the mango strong, the drink had a little more texture than I would have preferred, sort of like a pulpy orange juice, though I'm sure pulp-lovers would have enjoyed it more than me.
In spite of the vast array of menu options, Jacob and I both found ourselves in the momo section. After all, how could we go to Momo Heaven and not sample their trademark dumplings? He ordered the chicken steam momo ($12.99), which came with 10 minced chicken dumplings huddled around a bowl of dipping sauce.
Chicken steam momo at Momo Heaven in North Middleton Township includes 10 dumplings with minced chicken or veggies and paired with a dipping sauce. In the same vein, I went with chicken jhol momo ($13.99).
My dish came with steamed chicken and veggie dumplings half fried and swimming in a bed of tangy chilli sauce. I honestly didn't taste a huge difference between Jacob's order and mine, other than the fact that my dumplings came inside the sauce, while his came with a separate sauce bowl, however we both agreed the momo was indeed heavenly. Jacob ordered garlic butter naan ($3.
99) that was somehow both soft and a tad crispy and an overall excellent addition to the meal. I'm a firm believer you can't go wrong with bread. Several naan options including garlic butter naan are available at Momo Heaven in North Middleton Township.
Having worked our way through both dumpling orders, we agreed to split a gulab jamun ($4.99) for dessert. The treat consisted of three fried milk balls saturated in a thin, sweet syrup.
Like sponges, the milk balls sopped up the syrup, which infiltrated them to the core, offering what I found to be a thoroughly sweet finish to the dinner. Gulab jamun at Momo Heaven in North Middleton Township is a dessert that consists of fried milk balls in syrup. Jacob, however, did not like the gulab jamun and for that I believe he is wrong.
Respectfully. Momo Heaven might be a little off the beaten path of Carlisle's restaurant scene, but with dumpling (and other) options galore, the eatery functions as North Middleton Township's very own slice of culinary paradise. Seiler Pani puri is a beloved Indian street food delicacy that is enjoyed throughout the country.
Maddie Seiler is a news reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com covering Carlisle and Newville. You can contact her at mseiler@cumberlink.
com and follow her on Twitter at: @byMaddieSei With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food. News Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
