Address - Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Takadanobaba 2-14-8 NT Bdg. 3Fl Opening hours - every day from 11:00 am to 155:00pm and 17:00 to 11:00 pm Map - Yes Telephone - 3208-1766 Menu - In Japanese and English CC - No

As I wrote some in November 2005, Yeti is no more. Too bad, because it was cheap, friendly and good. Its successor, Maya (love in Nepali), is however a valid replacement, and I cannot but recommend it, because I often eat there.

The place is run by Kobita, the Nepali woman who was Yeti's waitress all these years: she has two partners, she says, one of which is the owner of another, older Nepalese restaurant also called Maya (in Meguro: for more info, see the Tokyo Food Page).

The place shows clearly that the hand of a woman is at work: it's much less spartan, all plates carry the Maya logo, and there are some more decorations on the wall. All in all its more pleasant this way.

The menu is much longer and varied, and well justifies the subtitle "Nouvelle Nepali Cuisine" it bears: there's even Tom Yam soup ... In spite of this, I truly liked everything I ordered, from the highly mongrelized Everest Roll, a rolled-up chapati filled with vegetables and Panir to be dipped in a soy sauce-like dip, to the Red Tibetan Curry (not on the menu, but available on request).

Kobita says that created the recipes together with her partners, and obviously without paying to much attention to purity. She has done well, though. I am sure that, although you may dislike individual dishes, you won't fail to enjoy Maya.

January 2005