What’s in a name? At Taste of Himalayas in St. Charles, the restaurant’s title provides insight to its best qualities: like Mount Everest, it’s a fascinating experience that’s absolutely worth it for those daring enough to try something different.

Located near Breadsmith and The Filling Station, the bright blue exterior of the restaurant and its large meal deal window displays are odd standouts among the rich sepia tones of downtown St. Charles. But inside, Taste of Himalayas offers nothing less than what their website calls, “the Finest Cuisine from Mountain Countries of Nepal & India.”

The brilliance of Taste of Himalayas lies in the complexity behind its simple first impressions. The bright blue and red walls of the restaurant’s interior are decorated with elegant paintings and twisted metal art, and with the relatively spacious yet cozy dining area, guests can get a sense of tradition and community within the robust nature of their surroundings.

Taste of Himalayas provides service unlike any that our party has ever experienced; not once were we without a server nearby, and we were consistently checked on by the restaurant staff.

After ordering drinks, our server brought over a basket of crunchy seeded crisps alongside three different types of sauces. Between the three sauces, this light appetizer made for a nice introduction to the kinds of flavors we would taste throughout the night.

The first sauce was a sweet orange-colored sauce, which tasted somewhat of mango with a tangy edge, complementing the aromatic crisps well. We followed it by trying the red sauce provided which, although somewhat bitter, still had a slight plum taste about it. We ended on a green dip, which hit with a heavy, earthy taste before disappearing in seconds.

After the sauces had disappeared, a collection of appetizers arrived including a “Chef’s Special” assorted appetizer platter, mixed raita, and garlic naan.

The appetizer platter came small but hefty with a variety of fried delights, including vegetable pakora, chilli pakora, paneer pakora, and samosa. Standouts here included the samosa, which possessed a savory mixed vegetable center within a crunchy shell similar to an egg roll, and the mixed vegetable pakora, which came satisfyingly stringy and easy to eat.

The mixed raita, which the menu describes as “chilled homemade yogurt blended with cucumber and garnished with roasted cumin seeds and fresh cilantro,” was an excellent addition to the plate of fried goods. Our party found that dipping the chilli pakora in the mixed raita cooled down the chilli’s heat, making for an excellent combination of crunchiness and creaminess.

Above all, the garlic naan, which consisted soft flour bread glazed with a bit of fresh garlic, ruled the appetizer portion of our meal. The ratio of garlic to bread worked out perfectly in its favor, and by the time we finished the first basket, we were ready for another.

One of the night’s highlights came after our appetizers, when our server asked us if we were ready for our dinner and personally shined each of our party’s plates before presenting our meal. Now that’s what we call good service!

Our party made it a point to make the majority of our dinner selections based on what was listed as specials or otherwise recommended by our server. With this in mind, we ordered Chicken Korma,

Chicken Jalfrazie, Jhinge machha ko Tarkari, and Tandoori Mixed with a side of Pulav rice.

It should be noted that the Chicken Korma, Jhing machha ko Tarkari, and Chicken Jalfrazie were ordered with Mild, Medium and Hot spiciness, respectively.

First up was the Chicken Korma, which featured boneless chicken in homemade “creamy almond” sauce. The chicken was great, but it was the sauce that truly pushed this over the top.

Next, was the Chicken Jalfrazie, which the menu describes as “marinated chicken sauteed with fresh green vegetables, garnished with ginger, cilantro, spices and herbs.” While the flavors of the sauce and meat did not quite meet the unity found in the Korma, the spices and herbs used were a show-stopper, delivering on the promise of “hot” spiciness, which we absolutely recommend here.

The Jhinge machha ko Tarkari came at the recommendation of our server as a “traditional Nepali style dish.” Consisting of seasoned shrimp and a deep red curry sauce, the richness of the spices in the curry would switch between complementing and competing with the herby, floral notes of the shrimp, creating a dish that ultimately succeeded despite an odd balance of flavors.

All of the aforementioned dishes tasted great on top of a bed of the Pulav rice, which consisted of its own unique blend of seasonings. In particular, the rice’s flavors took some of the edge off of the Jhinge machha ko Tarkari, making it more accessible to less refined palettes.

Finally, the Tandoori Mixed proved to be a spectacle in our order. Coming in hot and sizzling with an assortment of chicken, lamb, and shrimp, this high-piled meal offered a variety of different tastes ranging from savory to spicy that brought out the best flavors in even the toughest meaty bits.

Though our meal was ultimately satisfying and well worth our time, it is important to note that our party’s bill exceeded $100. This restaurant is absolutely in need of more recognition, but for the average student or employee on their lunch break, it may be best to hold out for their lunch buffet, which is open from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 12 PM to 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

Overall, our experience wasvery good. Based on the strong service and excellent range of flavors, despite the high prices, we give Taste of Himalayas a 4.25 out 5 stars and our full recommendation if you are looking for local exotic eats.

Taste of Himalayas is located at 110 North 3rd Street in St. Charles. For restaurant hours, the menu and more information, call 630-444-1575, or visit www.tasteofhimalayas.com.