Rise & Shinee Restaurant in Rajahar, Nepal

Before there was Rise and Shinee, there was The Lost Paradise, a mid-scale hotel our family co-owned with another family for 7 years, just 2 km from where we stand today. Those years taught us everything: the rhythm of a kitchen before dawn, the warmth of guests who became regulars, and the quiet pride of a meal well served. That hotel still runs today, now called Hope.

Two years ago, we decided it was time to build something entirely our own. Our family, just us, packed those years of experience and opened Rise and Shinee right here in Rajahar.

Oh, and about the name. You might wonder why it's “Shinee” and not “Shiny.” Blame the registration office. When we went to register the name, Rise & Shine was already taken. So we added an extra e because sometimes the best stories have a small stubborn typo at their heart. And honestly? We kind of love it now.

Every morning at 7:30, our kitchen fills with the steam of fresh momo, the sizzle of chowmin, and the smell of something good being made from scratch. We know hospitality, not from a textbook, but from 7 years of doing it before we even started here.