Shimla is my favorite hill station and nothing comes even close. People may say that it has become crowded / dirty but frankly, it dosen’t matter much to me. Its primarily because I am a complete foodie and nothing pleases me better than a hot munch , crunch or ssurp on the famous mall road. This a review of the various eating options and my take on Shimla’s famous restaurants.
So, what is the first thing which comes to mind when strolling a foggy winding path up in the hills, a hot bowl of soup. You can get the best vegetarian soups in Shimla at Food Dot Com. Though a little expensive( veg sweet corn small for Rs 25), the soup is served piping hot and has an impressive look to it. The embassy food shop located at both ends of the Mall is another option for having a soup relief. There are a number of options available(in fact too much to be sampled!) and u may go in for your own explorations.
Now, we come to the coffee\tea section. Both are available abundantly on every other shop but are usually too sweet. For coffee lovers, a spanking new Barista outlet is present just a few steps away from the famous Gaiety theatre. The Indian Coffee House is present just at the beginning of Mall and offers a cheaper option. Good tea is available at the small Dhabas in Lakkar Bazaar.
So, what next burgers, hot dogs footlongs:Snack Time: Shimla has a host of bakeries (Ashoka , Krishna , Trishool) and Embassy of course for these. I found the chicken burger at Krishna Bakery the best followed by Ashoka and trishul. Things are expensive at Embassy but the quality is always good.
Pastries, Ice Creams, Cakes, Eclairs, Chocolate Rolls:Pastery Garden is a good option for u know what. Baljees Restaurant also has a good selection. Trishool bakery chocolate pastry is YUM!!!
The Full Course: So after the junk food, now is time for the real thing.
Various restaurant ratings at which I have eaten are as follows:
1)BALJEE’S restaurant: Very good food throughout their menu. The Non Veg section is a delight. The menu is exhaustive but on the expensive side.
2)Tripti: This seems like a quaint little snack shop located just a few steps away from Embassy Restaurant: If u want to eat South Indian food, Tripti is the place to go. They have an amazing variety of Dosas and beleive me they are fabulous.
Also, it dosen’t burn holes in your pocket. A branch of Tripti is also available at Lakkar Bazaar but isn’t that good
3)Nalini: The Chinese food(especially chowmein with gravy) is excellent. Don’t try Punjabi food here. It is awful. The South Indian food here is good
4)Ashiana\Goofa:This is a Himachal Tourism Restaurant located on the Ridge(highest point on Upper Mall). The Punjabi food is excellent especially the Bhature Chole Ummm...
5)Domino’s Pizzeria Located at the centre of Mall Road, offers the standard Dominoes fare. Nothing special
6)Aunty’s Chinese Dhaba:um chinese food but not exactly hygenic. Not easy to locate, this one is located in the Lower Bazaar. Very cheap but then......
7)Shan-e-Punjaab: There are 3 with the same name. The one I am talking about is located near the Hawaa Ghar.Punjabi Non-Veg is excellent here. GO in for the Tandoori Menu. Its yum.
Well , writing this review has been most difficult because of the constant mouth-watering tendency of mine. Its time to eat....
--------------------------------------© Avi--------------------------------------------------------------