Anusha Nagarkoti (L) and partner Aashis Ayer (R), along with sister Hemlata (centre), are the family behind Friends and Momos. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Friends and Momos food truck popped up in Woden’s Edison Park in 2022 and has gathered a cult following of dumpling enthusiasts, students from nearby Canberra College and Canberra’s Nepalese community. The couple behind the business have now opened a new restaurant in Gungahlin, and they’ve brought their family along for the ride.
Anusha Nagarkoti and Aashis Ayer reached out to their families to help them fund the store – which is conveniently located just around the corner from the light rail stop and close to the bus interchange – and opened the doors just a few weeks ago.
Already they’ve gathered a loyal following and are even considering adding more seating to cater for the busy periods! Anusha told Region that they’ve expanded the menu from what they offer at the truck, but are still focusing on Nepalese street food.
“These are dishes that I grew up eating in the Kathmandu Valley,” she said.
“Dishes like laphing, momos and mushroom skewers are all street foods that we would have, so we wanted to bring the same taste here.”
‘Laphing’ is a steamed noodle dish which is served with soup or dry. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Over the years they’ve been serving up specials to their food truck customers and collecting their feedback to get the mix of flavours juuust right. One regular customer at the food truck is Jeff Lamshed – chef and owner of Lamsheds in Yarralumla – who convinced the team to add a goat meat momo to the menu! Having tasted it, I can confirm it was an excellent suggestion.
The momo (Nepalese-style dumpling) menu now includes chicken, paneer, goat and buffalo meat options. Buffalo is a commonly eaten meat in Nepal, but is less common in Australia, so Aashis drives up to Sydney once a month to pick up the delivery from the Northern Territory.
Anusha Nagarkoti recommended I try the steamed goat momos. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
I’d watched the team make laphing (a spicy, steamed dish) on their Instagram page and was eager to try it for myself. The steamed noodles are rolled up with fillings and can be served dry – with a mix of crunchy noodles and peanuts – or with a soup, and they come with a mouth-tingling Szechuan chilli oil. The laphing noodles are silky smooth and a little chewy, in fact they reminded me of cheung fun noodle rolls, a Cantonese yum cha staple. The contrast with the crunch of the dry filling kept me diving back in for another taste.
While the store doesn’t have a liquor licence, Anusha recommends grabbing this dish as a takeaway and enjoying it with a cold beer, but I can also recommend a creamy mango lassi if you’re dining in!
I also tried the spiced, crispy oyster mushrooms which are fried on skewers and served with their signature spicy sauce, which is also a great pairing with thickeko aloo (smashed fried potatoes). Syabhale savoury pastries are crispy and flaky parcels filled with either corn and cheese or a delicious spiced chicken.
I was also lucky enough to have a sneak peek behind the scenes where more members of the family were deftly making the momos by hand. In addition to what they sell at the shop and food truck, they also sell these momos wholesale to other businesses. Anusha tells me that three people will make 50 kg of momos a day!
The momos at Friends and Momos are handmade onsite. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Asking if they ever get tired of momos, Anusha says she likes to mix them up with other menu items, but Aashis will eat the same buffalo momo every day, saying, “Once I’ve had my momos, then the day is complete!”
Friends and Momos isn’t just the name of the shop: it’s also a recommendation. Bring a friend! Bring two! This kind of street food is made for sharing and you’ll be able to try lots of different dishes between you.
Friends and Momos Gungahlin is located at 109/43 Hibberson Street, Gungahlin. They are open from 11 am to 9.30 pm seven days a week. They are open to takeaway; more details are on their website.
The Friends and Momos Woden food truck parks at Edison Park, 5 Launceston St, Phillip, next to the Woden Skate Park. They are open from 12 noon to 7.30 pm seven days a week.
Follow Friends and Momos on Instagram.
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