Author: Matt Ingersoll

Annapurna Curry & Sekuwa House opens in Manchester

A new eatery offering authentic Nepalese and Indian dishes — from momos and curries to harder-to-find options like sekuwa, or skewered meat with aromatic spices — has opened in Manchester.

Annapurna Curry & Sekuwa House is a full-service restaurant and bar that opened its doors on Oct. 17 in the former space of the Glow Bar on Hanover St.

According to chef and co-owner Joshua Ghising, Annapurna gets its name from the series of mountain peaks in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal, not far from the district where he was born. After several years working in Indian and Nepalese restaurants, Ghising, who moved to the United States in 2018, said he was encouraged to open his own by several friends and family members who loved his cooking. He found the space that would become Annapurna in late 2019 and began renovations the following February.

“[The menu is] … a combination of Nepalese and Indian food,” Ghising said. “We have tandoori, chicken tikka masala [and] madras. … That is all Indian food, and then for Nepalese food, we have momos and sekuwa.”

Momos, or Nepalese dumplings, are available per orders of 10, steamed or fried and stuffed with chicken, pork or vegetables. Chicken and pork momos also come with a tomato sesame sauce. Other appetizer options include chicken, beef or vegetable chow mein; spicy Nepalese style beef or chili with onion, green pepper and tomato; aaloodam (fried and boiled potatoes with spices); and marinated chicken wings or deep-fried pork ribs with a garlic-ginger paste.

Sekuwa, which can be prepared with chicken, pork, goat or any mixed combination of the three, is one of the dishes unique to Annapurna, according to Ghising.

“Sekuwa is very famous in Nepal,” he said. “We marinate [the meat] with typical Nepalese spices … and then we grill it.”

Annapurna also offers a half-dozen types of biryani (meats or veggies served over basmati rice with cashews and cilantro) and naan, or handmade leavened white bread. In addition to plain naan, there’s a garlic naan with herbs and spices, a stuffed naan with potatoes and spiced herbs, and a sweet peshwari naan stuffed with coconut.

Many of the eatery’s main course dishes feature some variation of chicken, lamb, goat, seafood or vegetable curry. They can be ordered in a thick curry sauce (including with boneless chicken or goat chunks, or jumbo shrimp); korma, or a house sauce with cashews, almonds and light cream; and madras, a hot coconut, red chili and hot mustard sauce with ginger and fresh herbs.

Annapurna has some sweeter menu items, too. The lassi, for instance, is a smoothie-like drink featuring yogurt, milk and sugar that’s blended with mangos, bananas and strawberries. On the dessert menu, items include mango- or chocolate-flavored ice cream; gulab jamun, which feature milk dumplings soaked in rose-flavored sugar syrup; and ras malai, or fried milk pastries that are soaked in honey and saffron.

A full bar is in the rear of the restaurant, featuring four beers on tap and several more available by the bottle, as well as a few wines and mixed drinks. Ghising said takeout orders are also accepted, with free deliveries within a four-mile radius.

Annapurna Curry & Sekuwa House
Where: 123 Hanover St., Manchester
Hours: Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 to 9:30 p.m. (open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday)
More info: Visit annapurnahouse.com, find them on Facebook @annapurnacsh or call 232-7145

Featured photo: Pork sekuwa. Photo courtesy of Annapurna Curry & Sekuwa House.

News from the local food scene

• Fired up: Learn to make fire cider at the Beaver Brook Nature Center’s Brown Lane Barn (52 Brown Lane, Hollis) during one of two workshops on either Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., or Sunday, Nov. 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fire cider is a New England traditional remedy and preventive medicine made with apple cider, honey, garlic, onions, ginger and horseradish, an immune stimulant that’s also a great added flavor to salads, stir-fries and veggies. Participants of each class will learn the history of vinegar and honey remedies, then taste and make fire cider to take home. Ingredients are provided — you bring your own grater, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler and measuring cup. Masks or face coverings are required. The cost is $22 for Beaver Brook Association members and $25 for non-members. Visit beaverbrook.org.

• Bowlful of deliciousness: A new takeout eatery offering made-to-order rice and pasta bowls prepared with fresh ingredients is now open on Manchester’s east side. Bowlful held its grand opening on Oct. 20, in a takeout kitchen space inside Nickles Market (1536 Candia Road, Manchester). Its menu consists of various rice and pasta bowls inspired by the travels of owner Gerard “Jay” Desmarais — there’s a cilantro lime rice bowl with chipotle black beans, green chili corn, fresh salsa and sour cream and the option to add either chicken or shrimp; a bacon fried rice bowl with broccoli, a teriyaki glaze and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, also with the chicken or shrimp option; and a ground pork bibimbap bowl with sauteed mushrooms, carrot ribbons, sweet sesame sauce and a drizzle of Sriracha. Other non-rice options include a macaroni and cheese bowl, and a spicy pork sausage bowl with spaghetti noodles and a garlic butter broccoli saute. Bowlful is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Visit thebowlful.com.

• Taco Time restaurant coming to Milford: The Milford-based Mexican food truck Taco Time recently announced its plans to open a brick and mortar location. Taco Time Cocina & Cantina Mexicana is expected to open later this year at 11 Wilton Road in Milford, in the former space of the Rivermill Tavern. Rosana Vargas and her husband, Reymundo “Rey,” launched Taco Time, specializing in tacos, taco salads, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, chilis and other fresh Mexican options, in 2018. Follow them on Facebook @tacotimenh for updates on the new location’s grand opening.

• Italian specials: Join the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) for an Italian Restaurant Week in its dining room. From Nov. 1 through Nov. 14, the eatery will feature a three-course prix fixe menu of popular Italian dishes from different regions throughout the country, with your choice of one of several options for each course. The cost is $65 per person and reservations in advance are strongly recommended. Visit bedfordvillageinn.com.

Étagère opens in Amherst

A new shop in Amherst can best be described as a “unique boutique,” its owners say, with coffee, tea and pastries, antiques and a beauty bar all under one roof.

Étagère (pronounced “eht-uh-ZHAIR”), which held its grand opening the first weekend in October, gets its name from the French word for a curio cabinet, or an open shelf cabinet in which multiple types of collectibles are displayed that was typical of Victorian-era home decor. The name, according to co-owner Joy Martello, is symbolic of the different tasting and shopping experiences available to customers with each visit.

“We really wanted a place that was a feast for the eyes, and not designed like a big box store,” said Martello, a self-taught baker and antique collector who runs Étagère with her daughter Brook and her longtime friend, classically trained pastry chef and former culinary arts teacher Cheryl Emerson. “We want you to walk in here and go ‘whoa’ … and then the more you walk through the shop, the more treasures you find and enjoy.”

Desserts and breakfast pastries — many of which are European-inspired with an American twist, Martello said — are made in-house, and you never know what you may find in the case on any given day. On the breakfast side, offerings have included pecan sticky buns, stuffed cardamom buns, almond croissants, and multiple flavors of muffins, Danishes, quiches and scones.

Martello and Emerson also prepare several of their own takes on classic European desserts, like tiramisu, chocolate tarts and French macarons (featured flavors have been vanilla, strawberry shortcake, oatmeal cookie, pistachio, Bananas Foster and blueberry cheesecake).

“I definitely wanted the pastry end … to reflect a little bit of Europe,” Martello said. “Traveling in France, the pastries I’ve seen there [are] pieces of art, and I wanted that for my pastry cabinet, where people can enjoy looking at that pastry as well as eating that pastry.”

Most of the time, Étagère’s pastry case has treats that are completely untraditional, too. The Island Paradise, for instance, is a short dough cookie with a crushed pineapple gelée center, a coconut cremeux and a mango mousse. Others include the strawberry pistachio cake (with layers of strawberry and pistachio cremeux encased in a vanilla mousse and strawberry glaze) and a s’mores tart with a graham cracker crust and a marshmallow mousse on top.

The shop has a full coffee menu, from traditional drip coffee to espresso lattes, with its own blends from beans roasted at Good as Gold Coffee in Worcester, Mass.

“We have two house whole bean blends — the Noir, which is a dark roast, and then the Lumiere is a light roast,” said Brook Martello, adding that nitro brew and cold brew are also available.

Other drinks include hot, iced and nitro teas, hot chocolate and fresh squeezed lemonade. You can also book high tea tastings by calling or visiting the website. Tea tastings are available every Wednesday through Sunday at 12:30 p.m., with a second seating later in the afternoon to be added soon. The tasting menu will likely change twice a month.

In addition to offering European-style pastries, coffees and teas, Étagère operates as a small antique shop with home decor items, gifts, trinkets and more. A 600-square-foot beauty bar with four pedicure tables and a face and body treatment room is also in the back of the shop, available to rent for parties, baby showers and other private functions.

Étagère
Where: 114B Route 101A, Amherst
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. (High tea tastings are by reservation only, at 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Sunday; visit their website or follow them on social media for expanded winter hours and additional high tea reservation times.)
More info: Visit sipshopsoak.com, follow them on Facebook and Instagram @etagere.sipshopsoak or call 417-3121

Featured photo: Courtesy of Étagère.