A Homely Hidden Gem for Tibetan Food: Kailash Kunga Cafe in McLeodganj
The popularity of McLeodganj as a backpacker’s destination, owing to it being the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, means that there is no dearth of Tibetan food to be found. Yet, Kailash Kunga Cafe stands out amidst its peers. In my opinion, a lot of the Tibetan food served at cafes (even in Delhi), comes across as quite different to traditional, homemade Tibetan fare, using more spices and herbs and is a bit more heavier on the stomach, often due to fusion food such as gravy momos being featured on the menu, compared to traditional Tibetan fare that is quite light and bland. Understandably, a lot of tourist spots, as well as spots that primarily cater to demographics other than Tibetans, tend to lean into the former aspects. There is nothing wrong about dishes evolving with time, or with fusion, or in adapting a certain cuisine to different flavour palettes. It has led to glorious culinary innovations, most notably being the entirety of Indo-Chinese cuisine, but at times, you just crave more homemade, traditionally-cooked food.
Kailash Kunga Cafe is a rather homely restaurant operated alone by a lady. Quite the contrast from the rest of the cafes on the road it is situated on, which often serve everything from American breakfasts, Indo-Chinese food, Tibetan, Italian and Indian food beneath one roof, Kailash Kunga does not have an expansive menu. It only has around half a dozen things on its menu for lunch - mostly an assortment of Steamed Momos and Noodle Soups, available in both Mutton and Vegetarian vaarieties. I only tried their Mutton Thukpa on my visit there, and was pleasantly surprised by how different it was to other spots. The Thukpa is a soup of mutton, noodles and vegetables. On a chilly, windy day in the mountains up top in Himachal Pradesh, a warm, filling bowl of Mutton Thukpa is like feeling a long, tight hug from your mother when you’re visiting home after being away for months. The soup is hardly spiced at all, the bland broth allowing the flavours of the meat and bok choy to establish a subtle presence in the soup, and in true traditional Tibetan fashion, it is served with a scorchingly spicy, unadulterated red chilli sauce for you to mix in the soup, alongside a salad of pickled beetroot which was too pungent and foreign to my palette. Lunch at Kailash Kunga Cafe is truly a homely Tibetan experience like no other, and I encourage you to visit it on your trip to Himachal.
Recommendations:
Mutton Thukpa (9/10)
Location:
Note that the restaurant is not featured on Google Maps. Ask around for directions