A change for the better in W. Roxbury

We are eating the melodically named dish kukhura ko masu, which involves chicken and the intermingling of many spices. Soothing music plays in a soothingly lit room painted cream with Creamsicle-colored beams. There are statues of gods on display, some little couches, a carved wooden table. The exotic food is Nepali, but the exotic location is all West Roxbury.

Change has come to this neighborhood, and that can have its downside — the closing of the beloved Hanley’s bakery, the removal of the fabulously kitschy neon chicken sign outside the former Fontaine’s. The upside, of course, is more restaurants like this one, the five-month-old Himalayan Bistro, which expands the definition of local flavor to include cardamom and curry.

Now people who live in West Roxbury don’t have to drive to JP whenever they want Indian food. In fact, JP residents who are curious about Nepali food must drive to West Roxbury. Himalayan Bistro serves both – though, despite its name, it’s the Indian that predominates. The Nepali dishes are restricted to their own little ghetto at the end of the menu.

On one recent evening, we decide to focus on the Nepali fare. We start with the steamed vegetable dumplings called momo ($8.98). Unbitten, they look much like the gyoza you might get at a Japanese restaurant, but the filling is potato-y with subtle, aromatic spices, nothing like Japanese dumplings. The wrappers, unfortunately, are a bit on the tough side. We find ourselves squeezing the filling out of them into our mouths, like subcontinental Push-Up pops.

Next up is the aforementioned kukhura ko masu ($11.95). Described as being ‘‘cooked in Nepali style with broth,’’ it turns out to be a much chunkier dish than we’d imagined, no broth in sight. But the sauce is flavorful, a dark brown stew veering toward sweet, reminiscent of a Moroccan tagine. It’s tasty, and the bone-in chicken is moist, but we could do with a little less oil. Like many of the dishes, it comes steaming in a charming little copper pot on a copper stand, warmed by a little candle. What wouldn’t look appealing served in one of these?

Taking a side trip, we head to India for one dish, unable to resist the Goa shrimp curry ($13.95). The shrimp, cooked not a minute too long, are swimming in a rich, golden curry. It’s delicious, and compared to the oily kukhura ko masu, it seems positively light.

Then it’s back into the Himalayas with quanti ($8.95). This is our favorite of the Nepali dishes we try, a thick stew of seven kinds of beans that have been cooked to the perfect soft-but-not-mealy texture. It is liberally and expertly spiced.

In fact, all of the dishes we sample at Himalayan Bistro, whether Nepali or Indian, are notable for the skill with which they are spiced. In each, the flavors are balanced, discernible but without overwhelming the others. The tastes deepen overnight, so the dishes are even better as leftovers the next day with basmati rice.

A note on that rice: At Himalayan Bistro, it’s served plain and simple, no peas, no saffron. It’s perfect like this. The grains are fluffy, not sticky, and fragrant. It’s good enough to eat on its own, washed down, perhaps, by a mango lassi ($2.99). Everyone agrees this is one of the best versions of the fruity yogurt drink they have ever had.

On another visit, over more mango lassis, we decide to visit India. We start with samosas, both vegetarian ($2.95) and meat ($3.25). The vegetarian ones are excellent; the meat are fine, but a little dry.

So, sticking with vegetarian for a while, we order saag poneer ($9.95) and balgan bartha ($9.95). (The spellings of standard American-restaurant Indian dishes are anything but standard here.) The saag is well spiced, but the chunks of homemade cheese are hard to come by (maybe somebody is sneakily poaching them). The eggplant in the balgan bartha tastes good, but the texture is unpleasant: Small chunks of ginger interfere with the usually smooth, smoky puree.

The chicken tikka masala ($11.95) here was recommended to us by a co-worker, and this version of the old standby shows why it is the old standby. The creamy, luxurious tomato sauce is eagerly spooned up. Tandoori shrimp ($13.95) is also good, simple, with a deep, woodsy flavor from the hot oven.

Himalayan Bistro serves the usual desserts: The rice pudding called kheer ($3.25) and kufi badam pista ($2.95), Indian ice cream, are pleasantly sweet endings to the meal, but nothing we wouldn’t skip for another mango lassi.

Once, in old West Roxbury, we could have had a sundae here instead. Halfway through the momo and the quanti, a friend reveals that this was where he had his first date, 30 years ago. It used to be a Brigham’s.