Kunga - Best Momos outside Tibet
If I hadn’t discovered Kunga, I would never know, that the common momo is such a worthy rep of a robust art of cooking, that evolved high in the Tibetan plateau. Even the `authentic’ Tibetan places of Calcutta (by which I mean the famed Tibet alley and Tibetan restaurants of that neighborhood) would do well, to take a tip or two, from this tiny Darjeeling res
taurant that rustles up the best in what Tibet has got to offer. If your idea of meat-packed steamed dumplings are Delhi street kiosks or the ubiquitous office-para momo-wallah of Kolkata, then one can only feel sorry and suggest a trip to the hills.
When you are in Darjeeling next time, assuming you are not lucky enough to live there, hop into this little ground level restaurant, a stone’s throw from Keventer’s and Planter’s Club. Run by a smiling family, the restaurant has less than twenty covers in a neat and warm little room, its wooden walls covered with Tibetan scrolls, Tantric-Buddhist motifs and quotes from the Dalai Lama.
When I go to this Darjeeling restaurant, I always try to sit at the table near the door from where you can watch the tourists walking up and down Gandhi road and the clouds caressing the Himalayas softly. The Tibetan waitress will give you a notepad where you write down your order from the menu which is stuck under the glass of your table.
Of course, this Tibetan restaurant is not only about its momos but serves an assortment of Tibetan delicacies and some breakfast cereals thrown in for the tourist crowd. Looking at the menu you will feel spoilt for choice with an assortment of momos and noodle soups or thukpas, shybally - the Tibetan meat pancakes, chicken chilly, pork, beef and mutton curries and much
more besides. I had steamed beef momos last time and a great bowlful of thukpa that was smoking, wholesome, and delicious.
The steamed momos of Kunga -- they do serve a generous plate of it -- are soft to the touch and as you bite into the skin, a rich layer of fat gently caresses your tongue and then you bite into the tender meat that carries a hint of garlic and cilantro. This layer of fat adds texture to the Kunga momo making it splendidly different from what you get anywhere else in the world.
The food at Kunga’s is plentiful, the laughter abundant and the Tibetan tea to top off a hearty meal is droll but memorable. I can only think of another place that comes even close to making momos as good as Kunga and that is at the Taste of Tibet restaurant in Gangtok, Sikkim.Will write about it, someday son.
**** Hearty meal for two – Rs 300
Kunga
51 Gandhi Road
Darjeeling,
West Bengal, India
Phone: 2253971
Read more restaurant reviews from this blogger.
Copyright 2009, Rajat Chaudhuri. All rights reserved. Published article. (This article has been published in the print media. Any kind of reproduction, in full or part, without written consent from the author is forbidden)
taurant that rustles up the best in what Tibet has got to offer. If your idea of meat-packed steamed dumplings are Delhi street kiosks or the ubiquitous office-para momo-wallah of Kolkata, then one can only feel sorry and suggest a trip to the hills.When you are in Darjeeling next time, assuming you are not lucky enough to live there, hop into this little ground level restaurant, a stone’s throw from Keventer’s and Planter’s Club. Run by a smiling family, the restaurant has less than twenty covers in a neat and warm little room, its wooden walls covered with Tibetan scrolls, Tantric-Buddhist motifs and quotes from the Dalai Lama.
When I go to this Darjeeling restaurant, I always try to sit at the table near the door from where you can watch the tourists walking up and down Gandhi road and the clouds caressing the Himalayas softly. The Tibetan waitress will give you a notepad where you write down your order from the menu which is stuck under the glass of your table.
Of course, this Tibetan restaurant is not only about its momos but serves an assortment of Tibetan delicacies and some breakfast cereals thrown in for the tourist crowd. Looking at the menu you will feel spoilt for choice with an assortment of momos and noodle soups or thukpas, shybally - the Tibetan meat pancakes, chicken chilly, pork, beef and mutton curries and much
more besides. I had steamed beef momos last time and a great bowlful of thukpa that was smoking, wholesome, and delicious.The steamed momos of Kunga -- they do serve a generous plate of it -- are soft to the touch and as you bite into the skin, a rich layer of fat gently caresses your tongue and then you bite into the tender meat that carries a hint of garlic and cilantro. This layer of fat adds texture to the Kunga momo making it splendidly different from what you get anywhere else in the world.
The food at Kunga’s is plentiful, the laughter abundant and the Tibetan tea to top off a hearty meal is droll but memorable. I can only think of another place that comes even close to making momos as good as Kunga and that is at the Taste of Tibet restaurant in Gangtok, Sikkim.Will write about it, someday son.
**** Hearty meal for two – Rs 300
Kunga
51 Gandhi Road
Darjeeling,
West Bengal, India
Phone: 2253971
Read more restaurant reviews from this blogger.
Copyright 2009, Rajat Chaudhuri. All rights reserved. Published article. (This article has been published in the print media. Any kind of reproduction, in full or part, without written consent from the author is forbidden)
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