(This venue is closed, as you can see from this photo of the restaurant's former site. A small sample of its former menu follows.)
A cold, rainy day seemed the perfect time to try a cup of bocha ($1). Most of the descriptions on the menu seem very straightforward, and "Tibetan butter salt tea" proved an excellent example. Even a sip at a time, I didn't finish it, but it did tide me over until this big bowl of thenthuk (then-took; $7.99) set me right. This rich beef broth was packed with flat, hand-pulled noodles cut into bite-size pieces, like the Scrabble tiles of beef and the wedges of radish; some fresh greens also made an appearance. Moderately peppery; judicious dabs of a pastelike hot sauce turned up the heat further, but you could be very happy without.
Torn-off pieces of a tingmo ($1), a big steamed roll that's plain as anything on its own but sturdy enough to soak up broth without going all soggy, was an even better addition to my thenthuk. I don't know if that's a proper use of tingmo — the only diners who might have set an example were picking away contentedly at plates of dumplings — but the last of my beef and noodles were left almost high and dry.
Though this lunchtime was quiet, the hostess assured me that Friday through Monday (nannies' day off) were crowded if not packed with "Tibetans, Nepalis, sherpas, and some Westerners." A big reason, she added, is that everything is made fresh, including the traditional dessert called bhaktsa markoo ($3.99). Warm pasta with butter and imported Tibetan cheese, barely sweetened with brown sugar, pushed even my idea of dessert pretty far, but not so far that I didn't empty my bowl.
Om Tibet
40-05 73rd St., Woodside, Queens
718-672-3080
Closed Wednesday
