Tusa Canberra Is Opening, And It’s About to Change the Way You Think About Nepalese Food

Progressive Nepalese cuisine has arrived in Australia’s capital. Here’s the story behind the Tusa Nepal, the chefs, and the 180 ecosystems on every plate.

If someone asks you to picture Nepalese food right now, chances are two things come to mind: momos and dal bhat. And honestly? There’s nothing wrong with either. They’re warm, comforting, and deeply tied to Nepalese culture. But they’re also just the beginning of a culinary story that the world hasn’t heard yet.

That’s exactly why Tusa is opening in Canberra.

This isn’t another curry house. It’s not a fusion restaurant trying to please everyone. Tusa is something genuinely rare, a progressive fine-dining experience built entirely around the extraordinary, largely unexplored food heritage of Nepal. And if you’re someone who cares about where your food comes from, how it’s cooked, and why it matters, this is a restaurant you need to know about.

So, What Does “Tusa” Actually Mean?

In Nepali, tusa means “sprout.”

Picture a small green shoot pushing up through dark soil after a long, cold winter. That image captures everything this restaurant stands for , a fresh start, a new chapter, and a quiet but unstoppable kind of energy.

For the three Nepalese chefs behind this concept, naming their restaurant Tusa was less of a branding decision and more of a personal declaration. For too long, Nepalese cuisine has been undersold on the world stage, reduced to a handful of dishes that tourists recognize rather than the rich, diverse, regionally distinct food culture that actually exists. Tusa is their way of changing that narrative.

Now, with their Canberra opening, that sprout is taking root in Australian soil.

It Started in Bhaktapur , One of Nepal’s Most Ancient Cities

To really understand what Tusa is doing, you have to go back to where it all began.

The original Tusa restaurant didn’t open in a sleek new food precinct. It opened in Bhaktapur , one of the three ancient royal cities of the Kathmandu Valley, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its red-brick architecture, intricate wood carvings, and centuries of Newari cultural heritage.

Specifically, Tusa was housed in Basuki Ghar, a stunning traditional building sitting between Dattatreya Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The building is owned by Rabindra Puri, a celebrated conservationist and UNESCO prize winner who has spent decades preserving Nepal’s architectural legacy.

That setting wasn’t accidental. It was a deliberate statement: that great food and deep history belong together.

Spread across three floors , a welcoming cafe and bar at ground level, an open wood-fire grill on the first floor, and a full production kitchen in the basement, the original Tusa became a place where ancient surroundings met genuinely modern cooking. It taught the chefs a lesson they’ve never forgotten: innovation only means something when it’s rooted in tradition.

That same philosophy is coming to Canberra.

Why Nepal’s Geography Makes This Cuisine Like Nowhere Else on Earth

Here’s something most people don’t know: Nepal is home to 180 distinct ecosystems.

If you have steaming subtropical plains in the south (the Terai), rolling temperate valleys and green hills through the middle, and the freezing, wind-swept high-altitude deserts of the Himalayas in the north. That extraordinary geographic range means Nepal is home to ingredients that are genuinely found nowhere else, ingredients that have never appeared on a fine-dining menu outside the country.

At Tusa, the entire menu is built around mining this biodiversity. Some of the standout ingredients you’ll encounter:

• Humla Morel Mushrooms , foraged from remote, high-altitude terrain in the Humla Region. Deep, earthy, almost smoky. The umami backbone of the savory courses.
• Dale Chuk (Sea Buckthorn) , a bright orange Himalayan berry with a sharp, natural tartness that replaces conventional citrus.
• Mustang Apples , grown in the cold, dry desert of the Mustang region, where the altitude concentrates their sweetness into something genuinely unlike any apple you’ve tried.
• Jumla Marsi Rice , one of the rarest grains on the planet, grown at the highest altitudes that can sustain agriculture. Nutty, rich, and deeply significant culturally.
• Wild Freshwater Eel and Yak Dairy , traditional Himalayan proteins alongside the luxurious richness of yak butter and cheese.

Every dish tells you something about the land it came from. Eating at Tusa is, in a very real sense, a geography lesson , one that moves you from the tropical south to the snowy Himalayan peaks without you leaving your seat.

The Three Chefs Behind Tusa , And Why Their Story Matters

A philosophy is only as powerful as the people executing it. Behind Tusa are three chefs who have spent years working in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world, all with the same quiet goal: to bring Nepalese cuisine to the fine-dining stage it deserves.

Chef Parashuram Pathak , The Creative Force

Chef Parashuram is the architectural mind behind the Tusa menu. His career began at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu before taking him to the InterContinental in Dubai, where he immersed himself in global culinary techniques.

But it was studying the philosophies of chefs like René Redzepi of Noma (frequently ranked the world’s best restaurant), Michel Bras, and Thomas Keller that sparked his breakthrough moment. Redzepi’s approach , hyper-local sourcing, fermentation, foraging , is built on the idea that extraordinary cuisine can come from any landscape, as long as you look closely enough.

Chef Parashuram looked at Nepal’s 180 ecosystems and saw a natural pantry just as exciting as the Nordic wilderness. From that moment, the Tusa concept was born.

Chef Sagar Shrestha , The Technical Perfectionist

If Parashuram provides the vision, Sagar provides the precision.

Chef Sagar has worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs across Dubai and Australia, and those environments changed the way he thinks about food. In a Michelin-level kitchen, “good enough” doesn’t exist. Everything , temperature control, timing, plating, texture has to be exact.

What sets Sagar apart is the question he kept asking himself throughout his years cooking modern European and contemporary Australian cuisine: How do I take these techniques and apply them to a traditional Newari dish? His time in Australia also means he understands Australian dining culture from the inside , the expectations, the palate, and the deep appreciation for produce and provenance that defines Canberra’s food scene.

Chef Rupesh Bohora , The Bridge Between Old and New

Completing the trio is Chef Rupesh, whose specialty is modernization , specifically, taking old, forgotten techniques and making them relevant again.

He loves finding a centuries-old fermentation method from a remote Himalayan village and asking: how do I present this in a way that a diner in Canberra or Dubai will find captivating? His years working in Australia gave him the perspective to look at Nepal from the outside and see what everyone else was missing.

Together, these three chefs don’t just share a kitchen , they share a singular mission: to explore the full biodiversity of Nepal, mine its traditional culinary heritage, and present it to the world in a modern form. It’s an unusual level of alignment for any restaurant team, and it shows in every element of Tusa’s experience.

What a Night at Tusa Canberra Actually Looks Like

Let’s be clear about what this restaurant is , and what it isn’t.

Tusa is not a quick dinner before a movie. It’s not a restaurant with a sprawling menu where you pick and choose. It’s a deliberate, unhurried culinary experience designed for people who want to slow down and actually engage with what they’re eating.

The Tasting Menu

Dining at Tusa means embarking on a multi-course tasting menu, typically seven carefully curated courses that unfold like chapters in a story. You don’t choose; you trust the chefs.

The journey tends to begin with light, fresh, acidic notes drawing inspiration from the Terai plains. As the evening moves forward, flavors deepen and become earthier, pulling you into the valleys and hills. By the time you reach the main courses, you’re in the warmth of the high Himalayas , rich, spiced, hearty. The desserts bring you gently back, with delicate, palate-cleansing finishes.

The Open Fire

In traditional Nepalese homes, the wood-fire hearth isn’t just a cooking tool , it’s the center of family life. Tusa has brought that tradition into fine dining.

Every kitchen at Tusa features an open wood-fire grill, and watching the chefs work it is genuinely theatrical. The smoke, the heat, the intuition required to manage fire instead of a dial, it produces flavors that no gas stove can replicate, and it connects every dish to something deeply ancient.

Storytelling as Service

Here, service isn’t just logistics. The front-of-house team is trained to be storytellers. When a plate arrives at your table, they’ll tell you which Nepalese region the key ingredient came from, who grew it, and what technique was used to transform it. You’ll leave dinner knowing more than you arrived , about Nepal, about food, and about the remarkable people who made what you just ate.

Sustainability at the Core

Tusa’s ethos has always included a deep respect for the natural world that produces its ingredients. In Canberra, that means thoughtfully partnering with local Australian farmers for fresh proteins and seasonal produce, while drawing on Nepal’s heritage spices, ferments, and preserved ingredients for flavor and depth. Two food cultures, working together, with a genuinely mindful footprint.

Why Canberra? The City That Was Ready for This

When the Tusa team looked at where to bring this concept to Australia, Canberra kept rising to the top.

Canberra’s dining scene has matured significantly in recent years. It’s a city where people genuinely care about provenance, technique, and the story behind their food. It’s a place that supports independent, concept-driven restaurants and holds them to a high standard. And its four distinct seasons mirror the natural rhythms that shape the Tusa menu , crisp winters calling for wood-fired, Himalayan warmth; vibrant springs and summers perfect for lighter, herbaceous, floral profiles.

Beyond the food, the chefs have a real connection to this country. All three spent meaningful time working in Australian kitchens. Canberra isn’t unfamiliar territory , in many ways, it feels like a homecoming.

A New Beginning Is Here

From the ancient streets of Bhaktapur to the heart of Australia’s capital, Tusa’s journey has been long, deliberate, and driven by an unshakeable belief: that Nepalese cuisine, given the respect and platform it deserves, can stand alongside the best food in the world.

Chefs Parashuram, Sagar, and Rupesh have spent their careers building toward this moment. The result is a restaurant that is equal parts geography, history, craft, and hospitality , a place where every plate asks you to think, feel, and travel.

Tusa Canberra is putting the finishing touches in place. The wood fire is being lit. The ingredients from 180 ecosystems are being prepared.

Come with an open mind, an empty stomach, and a willingness to be surprised.

Welcome to Tusa Canberra. Welcome to a new beginning.