Nestled in the lap of the Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is a gift of Nature. The gigantic mountains, wooded hillside, verdant valleys, torrential rivers, pleasant climes, and friendly locals can clearly rejuvenate any weary soul. The state with a deep ecological ethos is India’s first fully organic state. The more we delved into its scenic grandeur, the more curious we became about its food traditions. Finally, after a long wait, we embarked on a gastronomic journey across the state. For this expedition, we were super elated to collaborate with a brilliant travel and tour company Our Guest. For the Gangtok leg of the journey, we were joined by two amazing hosts from Our Guest team, Prerna and Abigail.
Since Gangtok is the starting point of most of the expeditions in Sikkim, we commenced our food tour from here itself. On reaching here the city welcomes you with its clean, pedestrian-friendly, cosmopolitan appearance. Bracing ourselves for the mercurial weather condition, we began our tour with a visit to the DIRECTORATE OF HANDICRAFT & HANDLOOM, the center that preserves and promotes the state’s traditional arts and crafts. There was so much to see and buy. From there we went to M G Marg, which is the city's most happening place. It is the main shopping hub in the city that is lined with quaint restaurants serving some amazing dishes. Our first stop here was The Local Cafe. Its cozy setting was brimming with people and an irresistible aroma. The food here was clearly influenced by the traditional flavors. We loved their Tibetan Sandwich, Aloo Dum, and Gorkha Pizza. All of them had some quintessential elements of eclectic native cuisine.
Next, we popped up a paan from Dukhi Pan shop and moved ahead to try the iconic snacks, Aloo Chura, at the Chachaji shop. The aloo chura is legendary.
Our next stop was the organic vegetable market Lal Bazaar. Prerna introduced us to some of the popular local veggies. It was a delightful place. From there we went to Baker’s Cafe. Their Lemon Madeleine, Irish Coffee, and Blueberry crumble were great. The penultimate stop was another favourite place Nimtho. And the last destination was Abigail’s home where we tried a scrumptious spread of some signature Korean dishes that are part of her kitchen to table start-up EYHO' menu. Hope you enjoy the video.