This week my 79 year old mother Yvonne and I paid a visit to Mitho Momo on Cannon Street in Preston’s City Centre. It promises a “Taste Of Himalayas,” but not in a literal way because that would play merry hell with your teeth and if you’ve really set your heart on a mouthful of tasteless rock you can go to the Wetherspoons around the corner and order the chicken nuggets.

Mitho Momo is a dinky place that seats around twelve people inside, with an extra couple of tables outside on warmer days. We chose a table indoors and had a good look at the menu.

It was our first visit so we didn’t have much of an idea of how big the portion sizes would be, or what some of the dishes actually were, but there were helpful descriptions underneath each one. We ordered Aloo Nimki: “Mixed with crispy nimkis with boiled potato, fresh chopped onion, chillies bhujiyas, chaat masala and tomatoes.” (4.50) I didn’t know what a Nimki was, but the other ingredients sounded good so I risked it. Google tells me that it’s a savoury biscuit flavoured with cumin, which lent an interesting layer of texture to the soft, mildly spiced potatoes.

We also had Chatamari “A traditional Nepalese rice flour crepe topped with egg, minced chicken meat and vegetables, commonly referred to as Nepoli Puz.” (£8.50)

It was similar to a South Indian dosa, but a little thicker, making it slightly less crispy. Dosa are also rolled, whereas the Chatamari was served flat on its back with its topping open to the world so you can see what you’re working with. I liked that, because we could distribute the runny egg yolk around the other ingredients instead of getting an overwhelming eggy experience all at once, and because I like to mentally brace myself before eating an egg so I can block any intrusive thoughts about what it is or where it’s been.

The minced chicken was liberally spiced, and the combination of flavours and textures made it both of our favourite dishes, which was a kicker because we were “sharing” everything and Yvonne can eat twice as fast as me. I always imagine that if we were puppies, she’d be the gregarious shiny coated tank that everyone wants and I’d be the runty one that’s pinned down underneath it, failing to thrive.

The scrap I managed to snatch was delicious, although the heat of the chillies might rule it out as an option for those who aren’t keen on “hot” food. Yvonne isn’t one of them, unfortunately. Chillies just seem to work on her like coals in a steam train furnace, she was bloody flying along.

The third dish we chose was Sadeko Momo: Ten rice dumplings filled with chicken and served with a spicy sauce. (£7.00)

The hill of momos weren’t swimming in the mild and slightly sweet sauce, which instead acted more as a condiment than the amount you’d get in a curry. Each one was so packed with minced chicken that the serving was more than enough of a meal on its own. We also couldn’t manage much of the Aloo Nimki so we asked for a takeaway box for Yvonne to take home to Dry Tony. Did it reach him? Who knows.

Although we loved the Chatamari, we weren’t as keen on the Aloo Nimki and the Sadeko Momo, as the mild sauces that came with them tasted and looked very similar. However, that was just a consequence of us being unfamiliar with Nepalese cuisine.

We both felt a small wave of food envy when two ladies sitting at a table outside in the sun were given their plates of “Chicken Chilly:” sautéed, fried chicken thigh meat with onions, peppers and a sweet spicy sauce,” (£6.00) and fries (£2.50) They told us it was fantastic, and it looked it.

The staff were happy to recommend dishes and explain what they were and the premises were spotless, but it’s worth mentioning that they don’t have a toilet that customers can use. The person behind the counter suggested that we go to St George’s shopping centre which is a bit of a trek and could be a problem for those with mobility issues.

Mitho Momo is a great little option for an interesting, authentic meal that doesn’t cost the Earth and, judging by the number of items on the menu that I hadn’t heard of, one that warrants a few visits by those who, like me, are fairly new to Nepalese cuisine and want to discover new favourite dishes.

Have you shattered the confidence of your own perfectly good food by openly gawking at someone else’s, right in front of it? Either let it go so it can find someone who loves it the way it deserves to be loved, or give it a grovelling apology in the comments so we can all judge you.

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