Great food with a side of culture

Profile

Business: Yak and Yeti Restaurant and Brew Pub

Address: 8665 N. Sheridan Blvd., Westminster, 80002; 7803 Ralston Road, Arvada, 80002

Hours: Daily 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Founded: 2002 in Westminster and 2008 in Arvada

Contact: www.theyakandyeti.com

Employees: 30

Interview with Dol Bhattarai, Owner

Q: How did you get involved in this business?

A: Business is a passion to me. I was 13 years old when I first started working in a restaurant. I worked as a chef in a restaurant in New Delhi for eight years. After having some fun and experience in kitchen, I went to Dubai and served the people for nearly three years. My passion, my hard work, my knowledge and my experience finally led me to the land of golden opportunity, i.e., the United States. I worked in the Taj Restaurant in Boulder for six years. After playing with pan and spoon for more than 16 years, my colleagues, my well-wishers and my family supported me to establish my own business. That's what the Yak and Yeti is today.

Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?

A: Mountain food for the mountain people. The physical features of Colorado and Nepal are the same. I have four principles besides working in a restaurant business. These are my personal beliefs, commitments, and disciplines:
a) Authenticity of the food
b) Presentation of the food
c) Taste
d) Cultural sharing

Indian spices have an ayurvedic medicinal value. We use our own natural spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, fenugreek, saffron, cumin, cilantro, red chilies, and many more. All of our spices are authentic, natural in taste and makes our food yummy. We have 100 percent vegan foods and serve the most popular vegetarian entrees as well. Our food reflects our humbleness and our way of cooking. Besides this, our food reflects our culture. You can find warmth in our food. One of the important things that I would like to mention is that we have an on-site microbrew pub where we brew IPAs, Chai stouts and other great beers.

Q: What do you like best about your line of work?

A: I feel like I am helping all of my neighbors and my valuable customers through an authentic presentation of the foods. If my customers eat every single piece of naan bread, it makes me happy. Knowing that our customers have had a fulfilling experience dining with us is very rewarding to me.

Q: What is your business' biggest challenge?

A: Sustainability. We don't want to run our business for two or three years. We want to keep our high standards and still be able to compete with all the other Indian restaurants in the areas. We are committed to provide 100 percent hygienic foods and our employees are very conscious of this.

Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We are now not just sharing our culture through our foods, we are sharing it though guided tours and travel opportunities to Nepal, Southeast Asia and all over the entire world through www.yakyetitravel.com. Because of encouragement from our guests and customers, we have expanded our business to accommodate this need.

Yak and Yeti offers Indian, Nepalese with a pub fare flair

Restaurant reaches out to former Cheshire Cat regulars with cuisine

By Megan Quinn, Arvada Press

The scents of coriander, curry, and ginger waft from the yellow Victorian house on Ralston Road. That's because Yak and Yeti, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant, has taken up residence in the old Cheshire Cat building. The restaurant, which opened in early July, used to serve pub food and tall pints of beer. Now, in the same yellow house, diners can expect steamy spiced samosas and large plates of creamy saag. The most popular aspects of the Cheshire Cat — micro brewed beer and some of the English pub treats such as shepherd's pie and fish and chips — will stick around on the new Yak and Yeti menu. It's a good marriage. In England, pubs have English food and a few Indian items. Here's it's just a flipside,

Business is picking up as new customers wander in for a lunch hour or stop in after seeing the red, angular Nepalese flag flying from the side of the building. ..

Yak and Yeti Restaurant serves Indian and Nepalese cuisine including masala, saag and tandoori dishes served with baskets of fresh naan bread. Look for shepherd's pie, fish and chips and bangers and mash along with beer brewed in-house. Yak and Yeti is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 7803 Ralston Road. For more information, call 303-431-9000.