Hello, dear readers, it is I, Jenny, here once again to eat food on your behalf. Welcome to Communities Eat.
Not only do I sacrifice for you, I took a whole elevator ride just to do so.
Welcome to Elm Place, the location of Sudbury.com’s newish office, and also, A-One Dumplings, the dream of Tenzing Limbu and home of some fantastic Nepali momo.
New media reporter Eden Suh visited A-One with Jenny. Check out the TikTok video she made of their visit below.
@sudburydotcom Nepali momo got me wanting mo #fyp #foryou #sudbury #ontario #sudburynews #foodtiktok #foodtok ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE - Queens Road, Fabian Graetz
Let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up. (If you got that reference, we are now best friends.)
Since I often eat my lunch over my computer, and I occasionally have a deep and serious objection to the leftovers I packed, the Elm Place food court beckons.
A bonus of our new location was Eyvan, a Persian restaurant I wrote about before we moved into the mall. You can find that story here.
While I was there, owner Mohammed Abdollahzahdeh sent me to the A-One Dumpling Shop, which had just opened in the food court. There, I met owner Tenzing Limbu.
Limbu has loved dumplings since he was a child in Kathmandu, Nepal, he told me. Called “momo” in Nepali, they can be served steamed, fried or curried and are the pride of his new restaurant.
Run by Limbu, his wife and two daughters, who make the food from scratch using Limbu’s special recipes, the restaurant is just around the bend from their other shop, Nepal Handicrafts, located near the main entrance of the mall.
Limbu has travelled many parts of the world, as part of his work as a consultant for a small manufacturing and export company, as well as with his time in the British Army. As a member of the Brigade of Gurkhas out of Nepal, Limbu travelled to Gander, Nova Scotia, in 1996. It was then he fell in love with Canada, but also, a little treasure called a ‘food truck.’
“I loved it,” he said, “I wanted one for myself.”
But it would be some time before he would get anywhere close to one.
In between, Limbu would find time for culinary training at a United Nation’s International Labour Orgnaization’s school, to start a family, and to come to Toronto and set up a textile business, only to see that business burn to the ground in a fire.
It was then he said he needed to make a change.
He had been travelling to Kathmandu to visit his wife and now two daughters. He knew they could make a life in Canada, but it would take time. Limbu found his resolve once more, and opened another business here in Sudbury — Nepal Handicrafts.
The store, selling crafts, meditation bowls and clothing, all from Nepal, has been open since 2008. While not thriving, it has been surviving, said Limbu, and after years of paperwork, he was finally able to bring his wife and daughter to Canada as permanent residents. One daughter is headed to culinary school like her dad, the other, to be a dental hygienist.
Limbu said he will soon have more items on the menu, as they are working through what Sudbury might like to try, but now it includes meat and vegetarian options including noodles, fried rice, curry, and oh yes, momo.
Served steamed or fried, alone or in soup broth or curry, all are worth a try. The sauces served with them have different dimensions of flavour, both spicy and ‘spiced’, allowing you to change up each bite. Picture me with a momo in each hand, dipping and dancing.
The momo itself is the star, however. Made fresh to order (which means you may have to wait a few minutes extra) each momo is not only tender and flavourful, but each bite offers a little bit of liquid, just enough to add a bit of moisture, but not enough to drip down your face. Well, for most people. I did end up with some on my shirt, but let's just say I could spill dry cereal and still get a stain.
Limbu said he still hopes to get himself a food truck one day, but other than that, he is one happy man. He has his family and his store, but now, he also has his dream restaurant cooking his favourite childhood meal.
If you’re looking for a new flavour, and perhaps something different than what you’ve had before, Nepali momo could be an option for you. There is a very happy Nepalese man waiting behind the counter to take your order.
You can find more about the restaurant here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com. She covers the diverse communities of Sudbury, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, including the Black, Indigenous, newcomer and Francophone communities, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ and issues of the downtown core. Communities Eat is a regular feature at Sudbury.com highlighting the diverse cultures and people who make up the Nickel City.
