Formerly a summer resort of the British Raj, the city of Darjeeling is a confluence of cultures. It is a gorgeous hill station with breathtaking natural beauty, flamboyant colonial architecture and joyful way of life. This episode brings you an immersive food tour from this place that we had undertaken with our hosts Nikhil and Ujjawal. Nikhil is a licensed tour leader and adventure enthusiast while Ujjawal is a painter, musician and entrepreneur.
The first stop of the tour was Kunga restaurant. It is a favourite of those who prefer Tibetan and Nepali cuisines. The place was filled to the brim and that’s a testimony of its popularity. Here we polished off some chicken thenthuk and steamed chicken momo. The food was really soul satisfying.
Next we went to Bhola Aalu dum to try one of the most quintessential Darjeeling street food that is aalu dum. Bhola is believed to be the pioneer of this fiery red potato curry that is paired with a wide range of munchies. We opted for the finger chips and aalu dum combo. For Nikhil it was not just some food but an emotion because he has grown up loving it and has so many memories attached to it. We too loved this aalu mimi which had fried noodles in it too.
The third stop was Walis Bakery from where we picked up some wheel pop and puffs to be enjoyed with tea. It is an old bakery cum confectionery that is still prefered by the locals when it comes to daily snacks.
The fourth stop was Narayan Das where we had a refreshing cup of Darjeeling tea along with the puffs. Over this energizing cup, we got to know a slice of Darjeeling’s heritage from Nikhil who had all the anecdotes on his fingertips.
After this we went to Kapil chaat whose aalu chaat is a hot favourite with the locals. It is a potpourri of ketchup based aalu dum, chips, sev, peanuts, chutney, yogurt and a few other things. The result was a zesty, sweet and sour dish that brings a smile on the face.
Next we had a paan and then reached Ismail restaurant to have chicken keema. The idea was to see how the Mughali food was in Darjeeling. The homestyle chicken keema with mild spices won our hearts.
After this Nikhil left us and we continued the tour with Ujjawal ji. First he took us to Beni’s cafe which is an old favourite. The place still radiates an old world vibe. We had some tea and a kala jamun because that looked tempting.
Next we reached Santosh Aalu dum stall to enjoy a plate of aalu bhunja that was once a star attraction near Beni’s cafe. It was somewhat similar to the chaat we had at Kapil minus the ketchup and chutney things. We really liked its warm, spicy and crunchy taste. Santosh ji was very genial and patient.
From there we went to Joey’s Pub to gulp down some beer. We really enjoyed the less noisy and laid back ambience of this place.
Finally we ended the tour with some dal roti dinner at Hotel Lunnar because being late there wasn’t much of an option. Overall we had a great time .
About the host – Anubhav Sapra
https://anubhavsapra.com/
Anubhav Sapra is an avid culinary explorer who loves to travel and explore different cuisines primarily the street food, not just for the sake of gustatory pleasure but also for quenching his deep thirst for nurturing new cultural connections through the kaleidoscopic canvas of food. He believes that the vibrant and delectable street food tradition across the globe has the power to bring communities together and foster harmonious human existence.
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