Darjeeling: A Food Journey

This post does not have any recipe, for the simple reason that I was out on a trip to Darjeeling for the past one week. Well, Darjeeling is a well-known hill-station located about 6,730 ft above sea-level. Strangely enough, it was my first trip there though I have been visiting Kolkata once every year since I was a kid!

To reach Darjeeling, we took a train from Sealdah Station to NJP (New Jalpaiguri). Then on, we took a road trip to reach Darjeeling.

Round and round the winding hill road took us first to Kurseong and then to the Darjeeling town. As we were reaching higher elevations, the weather took on a delicious chill. Once, we reached our destination, we crashed on to the bed...so tired we were! My ever-enthusiastic hubby and Dad decided that they would try out the local eatery joint for lunch. The rest of us opted to order pizza because we did not have the mettle to walk on the hilly roads to explore local cuisine.

Next morning, hubby and I decided to explore the food-life of the Darjeeling town. Now, I love baking, so baked goodies are always close to my heart. We visited the famed "Glenary's" that is famous for cakes and bakes. The array of food was...Wow!

The array at Glenary's

The view from this foodie joint is amazing. Sitting at your table, you can get a panoramic view of the hills around you.

The view

We ordered for a Black Forest Pastry and a Chocolate Truffle pastry. The taste was yummmmm! I will let the picture do all the talking.

 

I have had Black Forest Pastry several times before, but the taste of this pastry was out-of-this-world! The cherries used were fresh, not the tinned variety!

Next day, I was geared up for checking out the local cuisine. After a hectic morning of sight-seeing, we set out to look for a small joint where we can taste the local food. We found such a small joint called "Shang's" near the Mall. Here we ordered for Chicken Thukpa, plain steamed rice, and Chilli Pork. The steaming bowl of Thukpa that was set in front of me was large enough to feed four people! The star attraction of the meal was the Chilli Pork. It was tangy, spicy, and very well-cooked.

Capturing the Chilli Pork before the plate gets polished off!

 The Darjeeling town has that old-time nostalgia. You will be able to feel that British influence in the architecture, food, and even the people. Scattered throughout the city, you will find small cafes, where you will sip coffee, and simple chill out. Time passes slowly and there is no rushing madness of Metro cities.

That night, we decided to haunt Glenary's once again...but this time, the restro-bar of Glenary's. The interiors of the restro-bar are done up nicely with a grandfather clock in the center of the room. The gentry is also nice, even though it is a bar. A cute foreigner couple took some pictures of the both of us. Here we had the famous Roasted Ham with French Fries and a couple of cute hot-dog buns.

The ham was succulent and the gravy was to-die-for. The buns were pillowy-soft!

No trip to Glenary's can be complete without having dessert. We opted for Chocolate Brownies topped with Chocolate Sauce and Ice-cream. The best part was that after having a plate of Roast Ham and two plates of dessert, our pocket pinch was just INR 560!

 

No description of Darjeeling can be complete without the description of the famous Darjeeling Tea. There are many tea-gardens in and around the town.

In the heart of the Darjeeling Mall, you can find the Golden Tip Tea Bar. The Tea Bar was an entirely new concept for me. The interiors are done up nicely with cane furniture, giving it a very cosy look. Just walk in and order any kind of tea you want!

The Managing Director of this firm is a tea-taster himself. Here, you can enjoy nearly 15-16 varieties of tea. 

The varieties of tea being displayed for tea-tasting

A cup of Orange Pekoe: poetry in a cup!

 In Golden Tip, you get aromatic teas of every variety. My parents opted for lemon tea, which they loved!

We rounded off our food journey with a visit to Keventer's, the historical food joint where a scene from the iconic movie "Kanchanjunga" was shot by the legendary Satyajit Ray.

 

We were so excited to sit at the very table where Ray shot his scene. This is also the spot where a scene from the movie Barfi was shot! 

Satyajit Ray shooting the iconic scene in Keventer's

The food in Keventer's is legendary...just like the place. This place is so popular that we could not find any table for breakfast in the morning. So, planned to have some lovely coffee with fried sausages and ham in the evening.

Fried sausage and ham

Thus ended our food journey in Darjeeling. When you visit here, don't just limit yourself to momos and Thukpa. Explore the food....you will be delighted!