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When it comes to restaurants, I prefer ones with rooftops where I can sit and enjoy my meal after a tiring evening. The combination of subtle lighting and chilly air is quite soothing, especially if it’s during summer. As summer is here, I’m glad I’ve found a place like that. Balcha Cafe in Samakhusi, Kathmandu, is a great place where you can relax and indulge in a delicious meal. The restaurant is aesthetic. It’s built in a Newari-style house, with traditional arts and crafts for decor, giving off a local vibe of Kathmandu. Along with the rooftop, the restaurant also has inner seating areas for the not-so-outdoorsy people. The outdoor area is decorated with warm lights, giving it a cozy vibe. I find it to be a perfect spot to enjoy some good food and a drink on the side. Whether you are alone or with someone, you will find this place to be the perfect fit. It’s a lovely restaurant that caters to everyone. And their food is equally good.  Let’s start with their Peri Peri Chicken. It’s perfect for meat lovers. Chicken is marinated and cooked in a sauce that’s both tangy and spicy. It’s served with a side of veggies like cucumbers and carrots, which too is marinated in the sauce. With every bite you can taste the smoky flavor of the chicken, which is both tender and juicy. If you are wondering whether the dish is spicy, there’s no need to worry. The heat is well-balanced and you can easily finish the dish on your own. Also, try Smoked Chicken Cheese Fries, especially if you love fries. It’s covered with melted cheese which is already appealing, but also has smoked chicken smeared on top, bringing out some extra flavors when you eat it together. It’s served with garlic-mayo sauce and ketchup. Dip those fries on both, and it becomes just right. It’s a perfect appetizer before you dig into the main course. You can’t go wrong with their Mustang Aloo. Crispy potato wedges are sprinkled with different spices along with a burst of szechuan peppercorns, making the flavors tingle your taste buds. It’s not that oily unlike most fried potatoes. The outside is crispy, whereas the inside is soft and creamy. And the best part is, it doesn’t even need a dip. It’s just perfect for our Nepali taste buds.  For the main course, I suggest you try Grilled Chicken, which is a bit different from what you get in other restaurants. Chicken is coupled with mashed potatoes and it’s drizzled with creamy mushroom sauce which makes it both presentable and delicious. It comes with some boiled vegetables on the side. The chicken is perfectly cooked and is slightly grilled, giving it a bit of a crispy texture when you take a bite. It’s a good choice for a main course. The portion is enough for two people.   You will also find a separate section called Balcha Special Dishes in the menu. That includes Oyster Chicken, Chicken Satay, Sushi and Prawns. They also serve burgers, sekuwa and khaja sets if you are looking for a Nepali cuisine, along with pasta, salads and pizzas. They have something for everybody on the menu.  They also have a small bar area for drinks where they serve local as well as imported drinks. There’s wine, beer, cocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails, milkshakes, soft drinks, and smoothies. A private cabin and a karaoke room are also available for groups. It’s usually busy on special occasions like New Years, or if a sports match is happening. They even have an allocated space outside for live music. The service is quick and the staff is friendly, warm, and welcoming. You will not regret visiting the place.  Their species:

• Oyster Chicken 

• Chicken Satay

• Sushi

The first thing that comes to mind when we think of a good burger is a juicy patty that’s cooked perfectly, topped with just the right amount of veggies, cheese, mayonnaise, and sauce, sandwiched between crisp, buttery buns. And it should look appealing too, with the buns a little charred on the edges. That’s exactly what you get at T’s Your Palate, located at Z-Street in Thamel. The restaurant is known to serve the best burgers in town and it has become quite popular in the short time since its establishment. We usually recommend our readers to start off their meal with an appetizer but, with T’s Your Palate, the best thing would be to dig right into the burgers since the meal is quite heavy. And our personal favorite from the menu is Drop It Like It’s Hot. With every bite, you can taste the crunchy yet tender chicken patty. The lettuce, tomatoes, spanish onions, jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and their special sauce go nicely with the patty. The brioche bun is great too.  Since the burger is huge, the fillings tend to ooze out, but it’s worth the mess. For those who like red meat, Pulled Pork (OMG) is probably the best option. The pork-based patty is slow-cooked for six hours with red wine. It’s then placed on top of fresh coleslaw, with well-toasted and buttery buns. Their special sauce gives the perfect amount of heat but it isn’t very spicy either. In every bite, there’s this wonderfully smoky flavor. It can be a bit overpowering but it’s delicious. The preparation for this one is done well in advance but it’s served fresh and hot minutes after you place an order.  The same goes for Jaw Droppers. The highlight of this dish is the caramelized oyster mushrooms that’s sauteed with garlic and rosemary and placed on top of a sizzling hot buff patty. Additionally, it includes french onions, crispy bacon, fresh coleslaw, and cheese, all tied up together with their homemade spicy sauce. It’s an absolute delight.  Vegetarians need not fret as they have several meatless options. One of our favorites is Vejjo. It has a paneer-based patty which is soft and crispy, along with veggies, cheese, and their special sauce in-between the crispy buns. This dish is lighter in comparison, and can be a good choice even for a non-vegetarian looking to have something that’s not too heavy but is equally tasty.  They also have Mushu Rama, another veg burger, on the menu. The main ingredient of this dish is the barbequed and pulled oyster mushrooms and fresh coleslaw. Again, they use their homemade spicy sauce which gives the right amount of heat but doesn’t make the burger too spicy. Instead, it gives a nice burst of flavors in each bite. Besides the ones on the menu, you can also customize your own burger by choosing your preferred fillings and sauce.  Although burgers are their specialty, there are some starters they serve that deserve to be mentioned. The best of all is KTM Wings. Chicken wings are fried and tossed in a homemade sauce that’s both sweet and spicy. A Whole Lot of Crunch is equally good. Served with some potato chips on the side, this dish includes crunchy chicken tenderloins with creamy and cheesy sauce.  Unfortunately, for vegetarians, there aren’t many options in starters as compared to non-vegetarians. But you could definitely try Promise Ring, which is onion rings served with a sauce of your choice, and Cheesy Chips, which includes potatoes with their special cheese sauce drizzled on top. If you are looking for something light, try KTM Chips. It’s potato chips served with homemade seasonings. Although the choice is minimal, all three dishes are worth trying out. For drinks, we recommend the Mojito. This minty drink is a perfect companion to wash down the burgers.  The first impression you get while visiting the restaurant is that it’s clean, making it a great place to visit for a quick bite on a busy day as the price is quite reasonable. Although the place is always packed, their service is quick, and the staff take good care of their customers. Chef’s specials:

• Drop It Like It’s Hot

• Pulled Pork (OMG) 

• Jaw Droppers 

The election of Nepal Medical Association (NMA) is scheduled for Feb 2-4 in Kathmandu. Dr Santosh Paudel, senior consultant at Bir Hospital, is one of the presidential candidates in the election. Slesha Adhikari from ApEx talked to Dr Paudel to know his agenda.  ‘Safe profession and happy doctor’ is your motto. What does this mean? Currently in Nepal, conflicts and violence are rising at hospitals. A lot of doctors don’t feel safe at the workplace. Many doctors are without a job. Even those who hold a job have job security issues. They don’t know when they will be fired. Moreover, doctors are not getting a salary befitting their work. Basically, doctors serve in two ways: By helping people recover from physical illnesses or by helping people overcome different mental disorders.  But doctors themselves get no peace at their workplace and their happiness is also compromised. In light of this situation, we have adopted this slogan, ‘Safe profession and happy doctor’ to highlight the importance of mental well-being of doctors and the importance of them having a secure job. What new things can the Nepal Medical Association do under your leadership?  Past leadership failed to keep even minor promises. We look at how doctors have still not been given minimum salary. We have floated different agendas on fixation of minimum working hours and a routine that allows doctors a break for their physical and mental health.  It is said that doctors have not been paid for 4-5 months. What will you do to address this? We’ve seen even reputed hospitals and medical colleges default on salary payment for doctors. We will raise this issue in the election. The management of these institutions is investing in other fields instead of paying the doctors. Many doctors do not want to speak up because of fear of losing their jobs. NMA is committed to speaking up for doctors and stamping out corruption in these institutions.  On one hand, young doctors are unemployed. On the other, the state says there is an acute shortage of doctors. Why did this happen? Let’s have a look into a doctor’s daily routine. S/he wakes up early in the morning, visits the clinic to attend to patients and then rushes to a couple of hospitals for providing services. Doctors remain busy throughout their lives. They have to follow a hectic schedule for a decent living. That’s why we have thought of introducing arrangements that allow doctors to work in an institution under a fixed working schedule—from 8 am to 3 pm. After 3 pm, they can conduct extra checkups for patients, if possible. Our slogan—‘one doctor, one clinic’—can address the problem of unemployment facing doctors to some extent, improve individual hospitals’ progress and improve healthcare in Nepal. There seems to be a communication gap/misunderstanding between doctors and people. What is its cause and solution? NMA is working to improve relations between doctors and citizens. There’s some communication gap between the two parties. Some doctors lack communication and social skills, although they might be excellent professionally. NMA is working to impart to doctors soft skills like basic communication, presentation skills and knowledge about medical issues. NMA is conducting research and training programs for doctors to keep them updated. This helps in minimizing the communication gap between doctors and citizens. Mediums of communication like social media also help in a huge way.

Amar Neupane is a well-known Nepali writer and novelist, mostly known for his book ‘Seto Dharti’, published in 2012, for which he was awarded the ‘Madan Puraskar’, the highest honor in the field of Nepali literature. ‘Paniko Gham’, ‘Karodaun Kasturi’ and ‘Gulabi Umer’ are some of his other notable works. Slesha Adhikari from ApEx talked to Neupane to know more about what inspires him to write. How did you start writing? I have been passionate about writing since I was a child, although it took me a while to realize that. I was one of those kids who sat with the villagers and listened to the stories they had to share and would make them listen to the stories I wrote during my own sweet time. I used to have separate copies for my poems, stories, and essays, which already says a lot about my passion for writing. My father also used to write a lot of stories, which I loved to read. That made me want to explore writing, even though I was shy about making my work public. It took a while, but I got over it and became a published writer. I’m glad because writing is what I live for. Better late than never, right?  What inspires you to write and tell the kind of stories that you do? I’m quite observant of what happens in Nepali society, which is what my work is inspired from ever since I first started writing. For instance, Seto Dharti tries to show the bitter reality of our society, and how much a woman has to suffer because of the ill-practices we still follow. The book is inspired from the life of my grandmother, who got married at the age of nine, and lost her husband at the age of 11. After she passed away, it got me thinking about the struggles she had to face as a child. It’s the same with my other book ‘Paniko Gham’. I worked  as a teacher in Nepalgunj for two months, and that is where I decided to get started on this book. It reflects on the socio-economic lifestyle of people living in Nepalgunj.  Which is the best book you have read so far? There are a lot of books that I love that have inspired me in one way or another. Honestly, picking one from that list isn’t easy, but if I had to choose one, I would have to say ‘Sumnima’ by B.P. Koirala. It’s a beautifully written novel, and I don’t think I will ever get tired of reading it.  What books would you like to recommend for Nepali reader?  Without a doubt, the first book I would recommend is ‘Sumnima’ by B.P. Koirala. There are a few others that have influenced me in the past, and I think those are some good reads too. They are ‘Tarun Tapaswi’ by Lekhnath Paudyal, ‘Laxmi Nibandha Sangraha’ by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, ‘Lamppost Bata Khaseko Jun’ by Manu Manjil, and ‘Muffler’ by Pradip Rodan. I think anyone interested in Nepali literature will enjoy reading these books.  What, in your opinion, will it take to keep youths interested in reading Nepali literature?  Firstly, it’s important to know what the younger generation is looking for in a book. And for that, it’s up to the writers to understand the psychology of youths and what they want to read. Secondly, they need to find the writings relatable or influential.  In the case of my books, I think Karodaun Kasturi and Gulabi Umer are the ones that match their interests. Karodaun Kasturi is a fictional novel on what might have happened if Hari Bansha Acharya, a Nepali comic, had not discovered his talent as a comedian. It gives a simple yet powerful message: to figure out your passion before it’s too late, and that everyone has a unique hidden talent waiting to be discovered. Similarly, Gulabi Umer is based on the psychology of teenagers between the age of 13 and 16, which I think is relatable not just to youths but anyone who has gone through their teenage years. When can we expect your new book?  I’m currently working on a book, the theme of which is somewhat similar to that of Seto Dharti. I want to give any spoilers. I would rather build up the anticipation. All I can say is the book will be out soon.