For steaming hot momos
Perfect place
This hole-in-the-wall place is surely a haven for all momo-lovers. ‘Momo Shop’, located in R T Nagar, is thronged by people from all parts of the City.
The place can probably be termed as a ‘one man show’ as its sole owner is Ronald George, who does everything in the shop from cleaning to cooking with the help of just one assistant. “My wife Champaka is my biggest support,” he exclaims.
After finishing school, Ronald pursued a short course in mountaineering at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, where he fell in love with momos. Post this course, he pursued engineering in Bangalore. “I used to make momos for my friends and they would tell me to open a shop,” he laughs. He then worked in the HR Operations of a corporate for 11 years before taking the plunge to pursue his true passion. And that’s how Momo Shop came into being two years ago.
“The main thing about making good momos is to fold and shape them well,” he explains.
And that surely holds true at the Momo Shop as Ronald gives the momos a beautiful shape. The momos are made fresh right in front of the customer and served steaming hot.
A friendly Ronald even interacts with all the customers and asks them for their feedback.
And if he is free, he even teaches one how to roll the momos! “I never compromise on the quality of my ingredients. I have a special pasta roller from Italy, which helps flatten the dough,” he explains.
Currently, the place serves two types of momos — vegetable (which includes ingredients like sweet corn other than the usual cabbage and carrot) and chicken. These come with a tasty tomato-based chilli sauce made by Ronald. Does he plan to add more to the menu and open more branches? “Yes I may add more to the menu but since I am new to the industry, I don’t want to branch out and fall flat on my face. I want to make this place as big as possible,” he notes.
And when the food is so good, why wouldn’t it attract customers? Anirudh Kheny, a senior consultant at KPMG, first read about the place on the internet before stopping by.
“I found the number of the owner and called him at 9.15 pm. Though he was about to close the place, he kept it open for me. Usually, people aren’t that courteous,” says Anirudh. “He made the chicken momos in front of us and served them fresh and steaming hot. They were out of this world. The dough was fresh and the chicken was soft.
They were so hot that I burnt my mouth while biting into them,” he laughs. “Besides, the place is clean despite being small. My only word of caution is that the momos are spicy,” he adds.
Momo Shop is located at No. 34, BDA Shopping Complex, R T Nagar. It is closed on Sundays. It is open from 4 pm to 9.30 pm. For details, call 9845141954.
