Hungry Buddha

The directions are cryptic. This place is in a basement, next to an organic vegie-farm shop. You go down a set of stairs into what looks like an underground bookshop. And that's where the restaurant is. No, it's not a speakeasy, but maybe it should be a secret restaurant. It's the Hungry Buddha - a Nepalese restaurant in Curtin. It just needs a special knock or an unmarked door to become a Canberra hotspot, just like the "hidden" speakeasy Molly in Hobart Place.

But it's easy to find. Right next to the Choku Bai Jo farm shop there's a sturdy A-frame sign with ''The Hungry Buddha'' printed on it. There's a hint of autumn chill in the air so we clatter down the stairs out of the cold. The restaurant's just there, past a table of bargain-basement books, tucked away underneath the Curtin shops.

There's a little foyer inside the front door, with a collection of knick-knacks and books about Nepal (including a fascinating picture book about hunters who collect honey, deep in the mountains). The restaurant itself looks warm and is laid out simply - dark tables and chairs on a polished wooden floor, with a line of banquettes along one wall. It's filled with the aroma of comforting, appetite-inducing curries and spices. A huge black curtain sections off another wall, drawing a veil over renovations that will eventually expand the restaurant's seating space. It's Friday and it's not bursting at the seams, but there are a fair number of diners, mostly tables of friends and the odd couple or two. There's also a steady trickle of people ducking in to pick up takeaway.

Time to have a glass of wine, a bottle of Nepal Ice beer and order some entrees to share (tragically, this rules out the mixed-bean festival soup). A pair of fish cakes (tareko maacha, $10) are thick slices with a slightly chewy batter. They've got a good sprinkling of spice and herb but are a bit floury inside and are accompanied by a mild, green mint and yoghurt dressing that doesn't do too much. Much more popular are the samosas ($8) stuffed with potato and mixed vegetables. They're crisp and piquant, served with a zingy, spicy salsa that's full of tomato and corn kernels, and pairs perfectly with some creamy yoghurt.

So the entrees do a good job keeping us interested. What to get next? Nepalese mains fill one section of the menu, and they sound good - beef curries, warming lentil stews. The khasi ko masu ($20) is described as "exquisite village-style" boneless goat curry. "You can't go wrong with something that's labelled 'exquisite'," says one of my dining companions.

They're not wrong. It's actually exquisite, as advertised. The goat is deliciously tender, little bite-sized pieces that melt on the palate. The curry is beautifully balanced, spicy but light. Someone's put a lot of time and loving care into this dish, and it shows. With a bed of fragrant white rice, you could eat it all night long.

Goru ko masu ($19) is a bowl of beef curry with fenugreek and tomato. Next to the goat curry, this dish isn't quite as spectacular, but it's still tender and fragrant with cloves and star anise, with a rich curry that soaks into the rice. Neither of the curries is particularly hot, but they are a perfect antidote to the cooler weather and good for sharing at the table.

The mains are rounded out by a dish of janeko dhal ($17), which is billed as flambéed lentils with coriander, cumin and Himalayan spices. It sounds pyrotechnic, but the flambé must happen in the kitchen away from prying eyes. In the end this is a comforting bowl of lentil dhal, which works well to offset any heat from the curries and lends a gentle finish to the evening.

And that's where we do have to finish. There are no desserts, so those of you with a sweet tooth might be disappointed. But it's been a very satisfying meal, with some stand-out dishes. The Hungry Buddha looks like another suburban Canberra gem, slightly tucked out of the way, but a refuge for a reliably comforting meal.