Last Thursday, Himalayan Chimney organized an Indo-Chinese night. Being a regular at this place, I visited with a few friends to sample their new offerings.
We were able to secure a table as soon as we arrived. The ongoing summer vacations and the fact that it was a Thursday must have helped with this, since otherwise there is generally at least half an hour wait on the weekends. The Himalayan Chimney staff was very friendly and accommodated our request to be seated at the large windows, which made for a great summer view.
All the things we ordered were from the special menu.
From the special menu we ended ordered the chicken lollipop, vegetable momos, vegetable hakka noodles, chicken fried rice, and gobi Manchurian. The chicken lollipop is just a variation on drums of heaven present on their regular menu, with the sauce served separately rather than tossed on the fried wing itself. Overall, I liked this way slightly better since I could choose how much sauce would go on to each lollipop/drumette. It was also accompanied by ranch and ketchup out of which I would say ranch added a distinct flavor not found normally in Indo-Chinese cuisine, which is generally very spice heavy. They should consider having a sauce on the side option for drums of heaven, since it was always a go-to option for us whenever we go here.
Next up was the vegetable hakka noodles, which despite being simple was perfectly cooked and flavorful. One of the keys to making any noodle stir fry work is to have a good toss between the veggies and noodles so as to incorporate some in every bite. And they nailed it.
This was followed by gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, and trust me this is one of the best ways to eat cauliflower. The crispy crunchy exterior had a nice coating of a soy sauce base. It paired great with the chicken fried rice, which in my opinion was the star of the night. Fried rice is a simple dish that is easy to screw up. The rice can get mushy, the soy sauce might be too much. However, they did an amazing job with this dish and I wish they would put it on the menu. I would recommend this to anyone if they ever host an Indo-Chinese night again.
The one thing that we didn’t like was the chronology in which our orders were served. Vegetable moms which are a Nepalese dumpling appetizer were served last and by that time we were too full to enjoy them properly.
Overall, though, Indo-Chinese night was great and I wish that they would hold it more regularly, if not make some dishes a part of the regular menu.
Himalayan Chimney
134 W Church St
Champaign
M-Sa 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. + 5 to 10 p.m.
Sun noon to 3 p.m. + 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Photos by Mayank Boob