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The Brooklyn Paper / Tom Callan

Beef bowl: Try the thukpa, a meaty noodle soup.

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So a Tibetan restaurant has opened in Ditmas Park, prompting at least one important question: What is Tibetan food?

The answer: It’s East meets East; the menu at the Top Café spans that critical gap between Chinese and Indian food.

The starting point for all newbies to the Himalayan fare ought to be an order of silver-dollar-sized momos. The steamed dumplings are stuffed with either beef, chicken or vegetables and served with a mild or extra hot chili, garlic and ginger sauce (how hot is this sauce? It’s so hot that if you threatened to slather it on the Dalai Lama’s momo, he might be willing to give up Tibet to the Chinese).

Another Tibetan highlight is thukpa, a meat and noodle soup that is perfect as the weather beings to cool.

Bearing a closer resemblance to the Indian influence are dishes like shogo ngopa, a spicy concoction of potatoes and spinach.

The limited ambiance at the narrow café is set by the Buddhist prayer flags lining the walls, Tibetan chanting music and a picture of His Hoiness, the Dalai Lama.

And best of all, no entrees hit double digits. How Zen.

©2008 The Brooklyn Paper