Karma (right) and Tenzin at their new Mr. MoMo restaurant in Mimico.
Karma Norgyal and his sister, Tenzin Dolkar, have travelled a long way from their native Nepal to open a restaurant in Mimico.
They enjoy cooking and it took the siblings six years before they opened their Mr. MoMo restaurant, at 2453 Lakeshore Blvd., W., near Mimico Avenue.
“We have been looking for a place around here for about six years,” Norgyal says. “We wanted to open our restaurant here because of the large Tibetan population.”
HI HOLINESS Dali Lama welcomes diners to Mr. MoMo. Photos by Tom Godfrey.
He says more than 7,000 Tibetans have resettled in the Mimico area, due in large part to the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, on Titan Road.
City statistics show there is a growing Tibetan community in South Etobicoke. Almost 3,000 Tibetans moved to Toronto from 1998 to 2008 making the city the home of the largest Tibetan Canadian community in North America.
Mr. MoMo has some of the tastiest momos in the community.
There were 6,035 Tibetan-Canadians living in the Greater Toronto Area by 2016, with thriving communities in Parkdale and South Etobicoke.
Norgyal says only fresh spices, meats and other ingredients are used to make their tasty momos.
“Everything is made by hand and is nice and fresh,” he explains
They offer six types of momos including; beef, pork, chicken, potato, vegetables and soya for non-meat eaters.
The restaurant is tucked away in an open plaza across from Mimico Avenue and is clean and comfortable. A small photo of spiritual leader Dalai Lama looks over the dining room.
Norgyal emigrated to the Parkdale area from Tibet more than 10-years ago. He worked as a nutritionist at St. Joseph Medical Centre while saving and searching for a location to open their restaurant.
“It took us a long time to find this place,” he recalls. “I am a very passionate cook and wanted my customers to be happy and to enjoy our food when they leave.”
Dolkar is also actively working to help the community.
She and others from the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre were out feeding hundreds of meals to the elderly and those at risk during the COVID outbreak.
“We were very busy helping others during COVID,” Dolkar says. “We wanted to promote our culture and help those who are isolated and suffering.”
She says their recipe for making momos was passed down through four generations of family members.
“People here and all over the world love momos,” Norgyal agrees. “It is like a national food of Tibet and we have been getting good support from the community.”
Mr. Momo can be reached at 647-309-9683.