Darjeeling has a lot to offer. For me, the charm of chilly winters and the lure of Oolongs & Glenary’s liqueur chocolates/confectionery remain top draws. But these are always overridden by another attraction - "the feast of a Breakfast" the place offers.
For starters Darjeeling was the favored hill station during Raj days when Kolkata was the capital of India. And when you visit the place, it shows. Lots of old bungalows, trading establishments, churches and of course age-old institutions like Glenary’s, Kevs and Frank Ross that have kept many of those British traditions alive and kicking. Both Glenary’s and Kevs are splendid places to have meals (especially Breakfast) but while Glenary’s doubles up as a wonderful confectionary shop cum cybercafe, Kevs - the subject of this Review, is all about the Breakfast.
First a bit about the place. Kevs is a century old eatery/retail shop situated in the two storied building at the fork turning on Laden La road leading to Chowrasta. The ground floor is used to retail Tea and food products, especially meat products and cheeses. The eatery is housed on the 1st floor, part of it under roof and the rest open-air on the terrace. This is one of its biggest USPs. Unlike Glenary’s which doesn’t offer open air dining, Kevs not only offers one but goes a step ahead to provide one of the most panoramic views of the town including a vantage point for looking at the Kanchenjunga.
Well begun is half done, they say. And the logic of the statement strikes you when you visit Kevs for Breakfast. Kevs offers very few choices in beverages, quite literally boiling down to Tea, Green Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate. Coffee is the typical expresso coffee which isn’t anything to write home about. Same with the hot Chocolate. But we aren’t bothered. We are here for the beverage Darjeeling is famous for. Tea. Connoisseurs of Tea need look no further. Both the variants of Tea use excellent Leaf and are Brewed the way they should be. These liquor Teas are special blends including that ever elusive "first flush" leaves that are sworn by the world over for their aromas. This is the best Tea you’ll get for love or money. And all for a paltry 18 bucks !! Caveat - Don’t commit the blunder of adding milk or too much sugar. You’ll end up scr*wing the thing.
Now for the Brass Tacks. How do you like your eggs ? Boiled, Poached/fried, omlette, scrambled what have you. These guys will serve you your choice of (two) eggs for 30-35 bucks. You can order buttered bread slices, plain or toasted (6/7 bucks apiece respectively) to go with it. Chicken salami sandwiches are served at 30-35 bucks as are Veg burgers. But very few guys if ever eat them. Reason ? Simple. Anyone who loves fowl/pork meat preparations to go with the breakfast has a plethora of choices ranging from 50-120 odd bucks. You might say heaven starts at 60 bucks for guys who want a light breakfast. As you climb up the tiers of heaven, various permutations/combinations of chicken/pork Sausages/Salami and/or Ham/Bacon rashers are made available in line with your taste/preferences. The sausages/salami are clean meat, with very little herbs/pepper (only for taste) and no/very low bread/starch/grain content which makes them a lot healthier, making this stuff seriously addictive. For about a hundred and fifty bucks you can get one of the most fulfilling breakfasts you can dream of.
The meats are all homemade supplied by Kev’s retail outlet below with minimum preservatives. You’ll notice the slices/pellets often being indented from store below upon receipt of order. The meat is fresh and its such a rage that the stock doesn’t last the day !! Of course all this also means this isn’t a place for the faint-hearted vegetarian who can’t bear the sight of raw meats.
The food isn’t without its drawbacks, biggest one being the amount of oil used. The guys are very liberal on the oil which means if you are a diet freak you might not be able to stand the oil. But having said that, you need to remember that the place is darned cold and calls for a higher than usual intake of oil. Also, the oil used is good quality and the mountain water is good enough to take care of it in most cases. The second thing which I found rather odd was that the bread used in sandwiches isn’t toasted/grilled which can be a big letdown if you are into sandwiches.
Kevs is doing yeoman’s service to mankind (hope I’m not abusing mankind by talking of breakfast) by offering almost the whole hog of choices that might constitute a complete and wholesome breakfast for guys who are particular about their first meal of the Day. There is no greater joy in the world than to sit atop Kev’s terrace lazily sipping your brew, hogging on those fried eggs/sausages trying to figure out if Kunchenjunga looks clearer today than it did yesterday. Pity after spending an hour at breakfast you have to subject yourself to an agonizing wait of another 23 hours before you can have your next one ! Cruel the ways of the world are ….:-(