EATING & DRINKING AT GULMARG

Most hotels in Gulmarg have a kitchen and restaurant to service their clients, though many guests choose to take meals and tea in their rooms. The quality of food may vary, but the menu items are often similar: rice, lentils, vegetable mash, and chicken or mutton curry. Fruit is often absent from a stock meal; savvy guests buy bananas, apples, and oranges from the markets in Tangmarg or Srinagar.

Several restaurants in Gulmarg have a following of sorts, namely Bakshi’s, near to the market area of town, where Tuesday night they offer a beer and chicken parmigiana dinner for a very fair price. The sound system in that house is top-ranked in Gulmarg, so it is a good choice for a Friday night.

Near to the gondola, below the Hilltop Hotel you will find the Big Bite Fast Food Restaurant. Those looking for a respite from curry and dal can find a very satisfying personal pizza (70-80 INR).
Photo credit: Sam Smith

EATING & DRINKING IN KASHMIR

If you are going to spend any time at all in Kashmir it pays to do a little homework on the subject of the local cuisine, otherwise you may be intimidated by its appearance, its aroma, and the presentation. Without knowing what you are looking for in advance you may find yourself reduced to eating the same old standards, missing out on a truly interesting epicurean experience.

I made the mistake of not following my own advice and arrived blindly in Srinagar, without the slightest idea of how I was going to happily load my feedbag. As a result I was forced to experiment with several dubious meals, and frankly, the general stench in Srinagar did not stimulate my appetite in any positive manner. Furthermore, I learned pretty quickly that the main protein ingredient is mutton, a meat I find totally unappealing.

Do yourself a favor and consult the following websites, or risk eating meals of vegetable mash and rice, or worse, biscuits and soda.

Cuisines of Jammu and Kashmir
Wazwan - The Heart and Soul of Kashmiri Cuisine by Bindiya
Photo credit: John Carolin