Karki Food Bus serves up Asian-American goodness

It’s a long way from the Himalayas to Houston, Alaska, but a little home cooking can always bridge the most cavernous divides.

Ten years removed from her native Nepal, Parbati Karki serves up her version of American comfort food alongside her own Asian-influenced cuisine. Recently celebrating one year of feeding folks from her converted blue bus in the parking lot of Houston Grass Station, Karki says she is driven by wanting to satisfy customers.

Whether she’s flipping burgers for one of the eight different patty classics on her menu, or concocting one of her regular menu specials, like butter chicken, her recipe for customer satisfaction is simple.

“I like cooking,” she said. “It is my passion. It comes from my heart.” Judging by the volume of return customers and online comments about her fare, Karki has made an impression. Her fresh-made dishes keep people coming back – and attracting new customers. Thursdays and Fridays typically come with a curry special. But Karki said she also makes it to order, if someone calls on a different day and wants it. She also offers family-size servings of all menu items, also by special order.

Customer favorites have emerged. The bacon mushroom cheeseburger and teriyaki burger are popular. So is the chicken curry and rice. The burgers are a bargain, too, ranging in price from $10 for a basic plain one-third-pound burger, to $17 for the double cheeseburger.

Karki has her own favorite, too – the teriyaki chicken stir-fry. “I love eating that,” she said. “My son does, too.”

Other Asian-influenced menu items include spring rolls and chicken dumplings. But even incidental items, like the French fries, get special treatment and have not escaped customer notice. Tasty by themselves, the fries also turn up on the specials board with cheese, or with cheese and jalapenos. Perhaps the most head-turning menu item, though, is the corn fritters. A generous serving of the golf-ball sized treats will set you back just $8. Served hot with a beignet-like perfect crust wrapped around a soft, doughy inside, they are a perfect vehicle for soaking up the delicious honey butter served alongside them.

“Everybody wants to come here for the corn fritters,” Karki said. A customer picking up his own order of the fried treat agreed.

“They are amazing corn fritters,” he said. Inside the Houston Grass Station, Leslie Hvamstad said her customers comment regularly about the Karki Food Bus and the large servings of great food available there. She said she sometimes eats there three times a week herself.

“She’s a good tenant with great food,” Hvamstad said. “It’s been wonderful to have her so close by.” In addition to the burgers and Asian fare, the regular menu also features two chicken sandwiches, a chicken wrap, a pulled pork wrap, and a classic greek gyro served with hummus. There’s also a halibut sandwich, which one recent day was joined by an Alaska salmon burger on the specials board. Most offerings are served with a side of fries.

For her part, Karki said she appreciates the attention and opportunity to have a business doing something she enjoys.

“I like to work and be outside,” she said. “I’m very happy to be here.”

The Karki bus is open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Tuesdays.