LLAMASODA

(An audio version of this article starring my deafening voice is available!)

Picking up right where Nanglo Durbar Marg left off, Sam’s One Tree Café continues to serve great oriental and continental fare with the same quality that made the former a household name in Kathmandu.

Originally a Nanglo location (the first, in fact), after the lease expired in 2014, the restaurant reintroduced itself to the public as Sam’s One Tree, with the “Sam” being derived from the first name of the owner and entrepreneur, the late Shyam Kakshyapati, who was an influential figure in the Nepali food and hospitality industry.

I have a lot of memories associated with this place, some great, some embarrassing… Though I’d say, it’d be more of the latter if I’m being honest since I’ve broken plates, thrown up, and troubled the staff more than a couple of times as a kid (deepest apologies to the staff, you guys deserve a medal of honor for that). I’m baffled how our family wasn’t banned for life at this establishment, but I’m glad we weren’t because I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to review it and share it with you guys (aka myself and my mother)!

As soon as we entered the restaurant, my sister and I headed straight to the dining room located on the left upstairs without even having to talk about deciding where to sit, which I found very amusing since back when we used to frequent here in its Nanglo days we always ate (and in my case, puke and break dishes) there. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Our server came in pretty quickly and handed us our menus, and as you can see in the image above, we were to write our orders down in the provided notepads to help assist staff members with disabilities.

Nanglo and its various offshoots have provided employment opportunities for people who are hard of hearing for two decades and counting (according to their website, which hasn’t been updated since 2011), and I am very elated to know that even after the rebrand as Sam’s One Tree Café they are still going forward with this stance.

To start off, my sister and I both ordered a glass of Peach Iced Tea (Rs. 200) which was so-so and not worth the price. While refreshing, it tasted sort of diluted (déjà vu?…), and I just kept asking for coke (just the carbonated beverage one, sadly) afterward once I was done.

Our bowls of Hot & Sour Soup (Rs. 300 330) came in next, and the lovely aroma was certainly inviting. Warm, comforting, and very delicious, the soup was perfect for a somewhat chilly November afternoon. The Hot & Sour Soup was (and still is) one of my favorites from their Chinese menu. I’d always get it every time we used to frequent here years ago, and knowing it still tastes the same as when I had it back in second or third grade (ah, the good old days of innocence and untainted dreams…) was pretty nice.

A delicious must-have item for winter (or any season, really)!

Next up were the Fried Chicken Wontons which were okay, neither amazing nor awful, just a decent appetizer. I did note that the seasonings in the filling and the oiliness were both pretty light, and the accompanying sauce was great too.

The small-sized Newari Platter was served right after we were done with the wontons, and there was an array of Newari side dishes with different textures and flavors for us to sample. The standouts for me from the platter were the addictive and savory spiced potatoes and the spicy and garlicky buff (buffalo meat) chhoela (spiced and grilled meat, mainly buffalo, but other meats and vegetables are used too).

The American Chopsuey was our main of choice (they served Chinese Chopsuey as well, but honestly, I’m not really sure what makes it different from the American version), and sad to say I found it to be a little underwhelming, as the sauce was a tad too sweet and overpowered all the individual flavors of the ingredients.

Aside from the name change, I personally didn’t find any noteworthy changes at Sam’s One Tree Café that really made it stand apart from the old Nanglo days, besides a couple of updates with the decor and the order-via-written-form system (which I’m sure now must be in effect in all of the Nanglo or Bakery Café locations as well). I feel like with the new name (well, not exactly “new” as it has been a couple of years since the rebrand) and a new start, they could’ve gone all out with revamping the establishment. But then again, they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Regarding the food (which obviously is the main factor above aesthetics and gimmicks in the end), it still retains its position as one of the most notable continental and oriental restaurants in Kathmandu, so all is still well.

So to sum it up, is Sam’s One Tree Café different from its previous days as Nanglo? Barely, for better or worse. But then again, this also means that the food (especially the Chinese offerings) is still great and that the standard of quality that Nanglo has been known for decades is still being maintained.

Definitely get something from their Chinese menu when you go there, and let me know which item you enjoyed the most!

(This article was originally written on the 9th of November, 2021)

Sam’s One Tree Café

• 📍Durbar Marg, Kathmandu 44600 (दरबार मार्ग, काठमाडौं 44600)
• 🕘 12:00PM – 9:30PM (Instagram says 11:00AM – 9:30PM, however) every day (make sure to check availability during religious holidays)
• ☎️ +97714222636
• 🌐 Facebook, Instagram

[20/02/2023: Minor grammatical adjustments made + I finally gave in to Grammarly Pro©]