Jimbu Thakali brings Mustang’s homestyle cuisine to Gurugram

Jimbu Thakali has opened at M3M 65th Avenue in Sector 65, Gurugram, bringing the food traditions of Nepal’s Mustang region to its first restaurant in India.

The Kathmandu-born chain is built around Thakali cuisine, associated with the Thakali community of the Thak Khola region in Mustang. Its core offering is the Thakali thali: a rice-based meal served with dal, vegetables, meat and accompaniments. In Mustang, where rice is not cultivated, buckwheat has long been a staple, while rice was brought in through trade.

Founder Vivek Man Sherchan started Jimbu in Kathmandu in 2016; the chain now has four outlets in Nepal. He said the restaurant was designed around the kind of everyday meals Nepali families eat at home, adapted for a restaurant setting.

The Gurugram kitchen sources lentils, vegetables and meats locally, while ingredients central to the cuisine—including the Himalayan herb jimbu and Nepali Sichuan pepper timur—are harder to substitute. Menu items include Mustang-spiced potatoes and Kanchayamba, described as Thakali buckwheat fries.