Under the Dhauladhar
Hill stations are apparently a foreign concept outside India. Pity that. We can’t get enough of them here. Popular ones such as Ooty, Shimla, Darjeeling, Nanital etc. are household names destinations when it comes to Indian family vacations, and there are a thousand more lesser known—but no less interesting—hill stations all over the country. One such destination that stands out in particular is McLeod Ganj.
Located a few kilometres beyond (and higher than) the more populous (and popular) town of Dharamsala, this little settlement’s claim to fame is its predominantly Tibetan refugee population, headed by none other than the Dalai Lama himself. But there’s another trait, and one of particular interest to Belly Centric that makes Little Lhasa (as the Tibetans call it) special — the food on offer.
Most popular tourist destinations in India are renowned for their bad food. Crass commercial outlets trying to cash-in on the influx while serving food with a purely profit-making motive are largely to blame. McLeod Ganj however has managed to avoid this plague (for the most part). An account from my recent December 2011 trip:
Mc’Llo
Best pizza I’ve had in a long time. The cheese was really tasty and the base—not too thick, not too thin—had just the right amount of crunch. While I cannot vouch for the other items on their menu, their pub-like ambience and extremely convenient central chowk location alone make Mc’Llo worth a visit.
Damages ~ Rs. 100-150 for a pizza.
Norling
Located on Jogiwara Road just round the corner of the Temple Road square, Norling restaurant can be found on most McLeod Ganj food recommendation lists. Our first visit to this Tibetan outlet was restricted to momos. Happily for our predominantly vegetarian group, they had quite a few vegetarian offerings. The momos themselves were decent (but not spectacular), with Spinach Momos being the best of the lot.
Our second visit was a lot more tastier. This time around we were in the mood for a proper meal and went full Tibetan with our order of thupkas and thentuks. Large, hot bowls of steaming soup with an assortment of noodles / egg / veggies / meat (depending on what you order) are quite tempting even under normal circumstances, but nothing short of life-giving to the cold and hungry traveller up in the mountains. And the ones at Norling were equal amounts satisfying and delicious.
Damages ~ Rs. 40-60 for momos (8 per serving) and Rs. 100-120 per person for the meals.
Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen
With a rooftop setting just opposite the monastery on Jogiwara Road, Jimmy’s scores top points for its location. Other areas where it scored top points were in its lasagnes, raviolis and baked pastas. Not so much for their pizzas though.
Damages ~ Rs. 100-150 per person.
Momos lady outside Norling
A street momos hunt on our last night at McLeod Ganj left us a little dejected. Most vendors had either closed up shop or run out of their vegetarian stock by the time we got to them. I had almost given up on finding better momos than those at Norling. Then, just as we were frantically hurrying for our last meal the next afternoon, we chanced upon a lady setting up her stove and containers right outside the aforementioned Norling restaurant. Momos! And what momos they were. Thick and round, not because the maker was too lazy to flatten the batter or too unskilled to wrap the filling in the correct shape, but because that extra thickness balanced the spinach based filling and the very very teekha chutney so beautifully. These momos were by far the food highlight of my McLeod Ganj trip.
Damages ~ Rs. 10-15 for 4 momos.
(View McLeod Ganj in a larger map)
A brief detour: McLeod Ganj is beautifully located on the mountain face of the rising Himalayas. To the west one can catch glimpses of lower Dharamsala and the lower Himalayas, and to the east the last wide slopes that the trees and vegetation have managed to scale. And just beyond those— the white, ragged, undisturbed peaks of the Dhauladhars. The crown jewels of the Kangra valley. Yet they are ever so distant, ever so unattainable — unless you do the trek up to Triund.
To those who’ve been there, a trip to McLeod Ganj will feel incomplete without the trek up to Triund. Nine kilometres of steep climbing to put 800 metres of height between yourself and McLeod Ganj gets you to the highest meadows of the Dhauladhar. The cafés of McLeod Ganj are long gone. The westward view is no longer restricted to glimpses. The eastward peaks are no longer distant. It is just you and your natural being. Your physical existence laid bare.
Disconnected from civilisation in every other way, 21st century luxuries that we take for granted are hard to come by and a lot more valuable up at Triund. Cooking essentials such as firewood and water are just as precious as the edible cooking ingredients. Food takes on a different meaning at Triund. Every morsel becomes life giving. Craig Mod is not exaggerating when he says:
You feel food turn into fuel. A piece of chocolate after hours of continuous ascent instantly manifests as pure energy. Have you ever experienced this? It’s biological magic and makes you realize just how direct that connection is between food and our body.
Maggie noodles never felt more amazing.
Getting There: McLeod Ganj is well connected via road to nearby towns like Dharamsala and Kangra as well as major destinations such as Chandigarh and Delhi. The closest train junction is at Pathankot. Wikitravel has more information.
