Grabbing a prime piece of real estate in Borough Yards, Eat Momo is the latest addition to London’s, albeit limited, Nepalese dining scene. Dedicated to all things dumpling, it pitches itself perfectly as a canteen-style space to escape for a quick meal, blending right in with the street food vendors of the area.
You’ll spot the site’s sunshine-yellow awning from a mile away, a beacon in the distance. Similarly-coloured chairs sit streetside, ready to welcome diners on one of the capital’s sunnier days. We head upstairs, where exposed brick melds with the vibrant yellow, giving off an unpretentious, industrial-chic vibe that wouldn’t be out of place in an IKEA catalogue. Nepalese folk-music sets a calming tone, whilst playful slogans on the walls urge you to indulge in ‘one more momo,’ and so we do.
The menu is refreshingly straightforward. As the name might suggest, there’s only one real option, with four flavours to choose from, or half-and-half boxes for the indecisive. We opt for the latter, half chicken, half veggie, presented in the signature-yellow cardboard bowl and paired with a creamy tomato achar and a fiery chilli sauce that doesn’t hold back on heat.
Each momo brings a unique style, from classic half-moons, to pleated dumplings, and we tear open the delicate parcels and smother them in the dips. The vegetable momo, a subtle blend of white cabbage and soya chunks, however, is somewhat overshadowed by the bold sauces. The chicken momo packs more punch with a juicy garam masala and coriander-spiced filling that threatens to spill out with each bite.
For drinks, it’s a no-fuss, grab-and-go affair. Whilst the fridge is stocked to the brim with options, we’d recommend the homemade iced white tea, a refreshingly floral accompaniment that’s biggest flaw is the tiny cup it comes served in; we could have happily devoured several more.
You might not have expected that the evening would end with ice cream sandwiches, but we’re glad it did. The Strawberry Shorty comes with a thick layer of strawberry ice cream wedged between lightly jammed shortbread biscuits, that cut through the sweet ice cream with a fruity burst.
For simple, unfussy lunching, Eat Momo hits the spot. We’d have liked more of a punch for its Borough Yards price tag, but this little dumpling joint is sure to satisfy many a hungry diner.