Mountain Momo, Edinburgh

Everyone has a different experience of Edinburgh in August, but one truth is universal – we don’t eat enough vegetables. It’s not like they all just disappear. You are still more than welcome to ‘have a salad’, but it’s very easy to get drawn into the diet of the visiting comics and circus performers (lots of pints, plenty of coffee, falafel, fried chicken, protein bars for the circus lads).

Into that fold steps Mountain Momo. After a string of pop-ups and residencies, they’ve set up a new permanent home at the west end of Fountainbridge, and on a visit during the height of the Fringe it’s a tasteful, chilled out oasis. The interior is pretty straightforward but with some very nice floral touches, and it has to be said that this row of restaurants (which now features the excellent Wok & Sambal, which we covered earlier in the year) gets some very nice sunsets since the demolition of the school uniform shop across the road. Progress: it’s non-linear, and it doesn’t always make sense, but you make the most of it.

Anyway, on to the food. It’s a fully plant-based Nepali menu, which means the eponymous momos (more on those shortly) and a selection of curries, breads, and lovely small plates. Well, we say plates, but our mung dal fritters (£5.50) and vegetable pakora (£6.50) are each delivered on a long, thin piece of black slate. It’s dramatic and not entirely necessary, but the fritters themselves have an impressive bounce and lovely earthiness to them. The pakora are exactly as you’d hope, crunchy and chunky and easy to devour, but the star of the starters is a homemade ginger chutney, which provides a spicy zing to everything it touches.

There’s a rustic, handmade feel to it all, and that extends to the bigger dishes. The cheese and onion paratha (£8) is, to a committed omnivore, an impressive plant-based substitute. There’s a lactic-style tang and an impressive gooeyness to the filling, sitting between the layers of some delicious crispy paratha. The dal bhat (£9.50) is another pleasing, warming and comforting dish that seems ideal for the incoming autumn. An earthy, hearty bowl of lentil curry with a homemade flatbread fresh from the pan, it’s exactly the kind of dish you want after a week or so of forgoing every vegetable and piece of fruit that crosses your path.

And then there are the momos, the Nepalese and Tibetan dumplings after which this very restaurant is named. When the name of the dish is written in big letters above the door, you’d better be good at making it, and these vegetable momos (£10) are excellent. We opt for pan-fried or kothe momos, with the same ‘crispy bottom, soft top’ combination as a pan-fried gyoza or a potsticker dumpling. They’re filled with an array of shredded veg that is a little hard to parse without doing a forensic examination, but what sets these apart is a delicious and surprisingly punchy tomato-based chutney that’s drizzled and draped across the plate. This stuff comes at you with pace and gusto, and turns these dumplings from very good to great.

As with all great plant-based restaurants, there’s never a sense that you’re missing out due to the lack of animal involvement. Mountain Momo has the kind of homespun vibe that has helped build a bit of a following and should serve them well. The food coming through the porthole window behind the bar is made with care and love, and the occasional dramatic flourish, which we’re more than happy to excuse. If you’re a homesick student who fancies a taste of home, this is the spot for you. Alternatively, if you’re trying to return to the five-a-day habit after a summer of fun, Mountain Momo could be just the place to put you back on track.

---

7 Dundee Ter, Edinburgh, EH11 1DL
Mon-Thu, 12-8pm; Fri-Sun, 12-9pm
instagram.com/mountainmomoedinburgh