Restaurant In Brambleton Named On Post Critic's 40 Best For Fall Guide

BRAMBLETON, VA — A restaurant in the Brambleton community of Loudoun County has caught the eye of Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema.

Nepalese restaurant Himalayan Wild Yak was on the new 40 best restaurants in and around D.C. list by Sietsema. The food critic has been doing the fall dining guide for 25 years and includes new and continuing favorites. According to Sietsema, the 40 restaurants represent a "range of tastes, wishes and budgets."

Brambleton Town Center's Himalayan Wild Yak serves Indian and Nepalese dishes, including ones with yak meat as the name suggests. Sietsema praised the restaurant's momos, which are the Nepalese take on steamed dumplings, as well as the fried goat and chow mein.

"The steamed dumplings show up as eight supple wonders on the rim of a bowl of garlicky tomato sauce," Sietsema wrote. "Their skins are so thin, you can see the outline of their juicy fillings; try the signature yak, finely ground and deftly seasoned with coriander, cumin and garam masala."

According to the restaurant's website, Himalayan Wild Yak seeks to promote Nepalese food and culture. The name is a nod to the yaks and Himalayan mountains that are top attractions in the country. The restaurant says yak meat has nutrient-rich and heart-healthy benefits.

Himalayan Wild Yak was the only Loudoun County restaurant to make the list. There were six others named from Northern Virginia — Mama Chang in Fairfax, Neutral Ground Bar and Kitchen in McLean, Rice Paper in Falls Church, Padaek in Arlington, Feru Bar and Restaurant in Alexandria and Afghan Bistro in Springfield.

See the full list of Sietsema's 40 favorite restaurants for the fall season.