Kateryna Topol –
“I’d like you to try this dish,” Momo Ghar’s chef-owner Sonam Pontsang insisted, pointing at the picture of Laphing on the sandwich board. “It takes us two days to make it,” he added.
Laphing is a Tibetan cold, noodle-like dish. The dough is made using flour, water and all-purpose starch, which creates a smooth, pleasantly gelatinous texture. The glutenous components are removed over two days using water. The resulting silky dough is rolled into thin strips as a vessel for a mix of ingredients bursting with flavour truly unlike anything I’ve tried before.
Momo Ghar, a former ramen shop on the lower level of 568 Parliament Street, is Sonam Pontsang’s “pandemic baby.” Prior to opening it, Sonam put his culinary training to work in fine dining restaurants (Seasons of Bowness, The Spoke Club, and DiVino Pizzeria & Bar, etc.) in Toronto and Calgary.
As the restaurant name suggests, the main dish is momos – “we make five different kinds,” Sonam added. Each delicately folded dumpling is made with beef, pork, chicken, paneer or cabbage, and can be served steamed, pan-fried or deep-fried.
Jhol momo is the signature dish, served in a rich, flavourful sauce (jhol) and garnished with fresh herbs. The sauces have 17 or 18 ingredients with layers of flavours built slowly and patiently over time, a delicious consistency kept up since the day the restaurant opened.
“If you haven’t been to Momo Ghar in a year, the food will still taste how you remember it. I think consistency is key,” Sonam commented.
Sonam and his wife, Chokeya, built the menu on “nostalgia,” using classic Tibetan flavours but with modern cooking techniques. Every dish is unique, and nearly everything is made in-house from scratch.
“We used to make our own yogurt too, but it got a bit too much,” Sonam confessed. The yogurt and cottage cheese are now sourced from small local producers, while all fresh produce is picked up daily from the Ontario Food Terminal.
As our conversation moved from the street into the kitchen and to the dining table, the space was filling with early diners claiming tables two or three at a time and giddily ordering favourite dishes. The restaurant is always busy with people lining up outside, even in the winter.
“That’s why we have the heaters down there,” Sonam pointed out, “so people waiting can stay warm.”
The Cabbagetown location was preceded by one on Bloor Street West. Sonam recently found a space on Jane Street, which mostly serves as a production facility.
Every couple of months, the Pontsang family takes fresh hot meals to unhoused communities in Toronto. This initiative started as a personal project, but since gained support from Momo Ghar regulars who join the food runs or donate non-perishable goods.
Learn more at www.momoghar.ca or @momoghar_toronto on Instagram.
