A chef born and raised in the town of Chitwan, Nepal? As exotic as his roots and upbringing may sound, Sunil Bastola, executive chef of Fairfax’s contemporary Indian restaurant, Bollywood Bistro, is as Americanized as any other D.C. chef. Just appreciate the restaurant’s setting, for one — flashy film clips adorn the mango-colored walls, eclipsing any Raj-era trappings of most local Indian eateries. But Bastola can bring to his modern-day cooking a traditional Indian — even Nepalese — mindset that few of his colleagues can muster. For example, a Goan lobster dish glazed with tamarind and a broiled Atlantic salmon served with a mango sauce. Then consider the Nepalese fare: goat boti, adraki jhinga (ginger-infused jumbo shrimp curry) and mustard chicken soup (fresh green mustard leaves and diced chicken cooked with homemade chicken broth).
| Bollywood Bistro |
| Where: 3955 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax |
| INfo: 703-271-0031 |
| Hours: Lunch, Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun., noon to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Mon.-Thurs., 5 to 10 p.m., Sat. until 10:30 p.m., Sun. until 9:30 p.m. |
As colorful as all this food is, Bastola says he only started cooking professionally in 2001, when he moved to the United States from Nepal. But he also admits that cooking has been nearly a lifelong passion.
