We went up for a week and down for one day which seemed unfair. That's what I remember.

In terms of food it wasn't great. Dal baht was where it was at. That's lentils and rice or, if you prefer, rice and lentils. Any combination you like. It's the national dish and they eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack in between. You get three plates of it per meal.

Whatever way you look at it, it comes down to the same bloody thing over and over again. The rice was rice, but the dal part wasn't like the creamy, buttery earthiness that you get if you order dal in Indian restaurants. It was lentils boiled until soft.

That's all. Obviously very sustaining and a good source of protein in mountainous areas but not big on taste. We added ketchup to it for flavour.

Ketchup I tell you. How can a country in between India and China have ended up with food like this, my companion asked after plate 75.

Monty's of Kathmandu is a Nepalese restaurant.

They go to some lengths to emphasise this, pointing out that there are differences between what they do and what you get in an Indian restaurant.

Small country emphasising the differences between itself and its much larger neighbour . . . we can surely relate. But they don't exactly explain what those differences are so it's a matter of faith. Once it got beyond lentils and rice I was out of my depth anyway. The words 'dal' and 'bhat' crop up on the menu but mercifully in separate sections. They have Mo Mo dumplings, a dish which they stipulate must be ordered 24 hours in advance. That's a long wait for anyone. Better to order in advance when making the booking.

When we arrived the waiter recommended that we should share them as a starter, the logic being that they don't really go with rice or bread which we would have with the main course. We did this, sharing maybe 12 delicate slippery morsels between us. We were given a demonstration of how to spoon vibrant green chutney on to the top of them and told to eat them in one go. Not easy to stand up to 24 hours of anticipation but they managed pretty well, a quietly spiced mix of vegetable and chicken in a silky dough wrapper, lifted by the heat and freshness of the chilli, coriander and tomato based chutney. We took our time with them, possibly because we knew they had had so much of it invested in them.

For the main course, we ordered two starters and a curry. Poleko squid was six of the little fellows barbecued in a tandoor and served on a hot plate with onions, very tender and smoky, the sweetness of the caramelised onion adding great flavour. I'm not sure what a squid would be doing in Nepal in the first place (meditating?

trekking? ) but this was impressive stuff.

Kachela was raw minced lamb gently seasoned with garlic, ginger and a mix of spices including chilli and coriander. It came with a shot of whiskey on the side.

The quality of the meat was apparent, no fat, all tender and with a subtle grassy flavour that came from the lamb itself. The added ingredients worked well with this and the whiskey added a lot, its wood and fruit flavours adding another dimension.

It was subtle and distinctive but the rawness of the dish, to me, seemed more prevalent without the distraction of the strong seasonings you get with other raw dishes.

Gorkhali chicken had a curry sauce based on yoghurt, garlic and coriander, another vividly green dish that was both rich and fresh with a glow of chilli heat. Colourful pilau rice was well spiced and Peshwari naan was fantastic, nutty, fruity and crisp. How do you get the rice so colourful, my companion asked the waiter. We put colour in it, he said. Fair enough.

Poppadoms and excellent accompaniments came for free at the start.

They have a good, nicelypriced wine list focusing on grapes that match the food. We drank their own Shiva beer, a hoppy number made for them by the Carlow Brewing Company. Service was unobtrusive and helpful.

The room is tight and space is an issue. That's the only negative. Prices are good for the location and for the quality of the food which was interesting, distinctive and a long way from boiled lentils and ketchup.