Darjeeling mornings
It depends who you ask. The town has three morning answers: an old bakery, a deli counter on the same road since 1911, and a stall in the bazaar. Here is each one, and the day to avoid.
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Nehru Road, 07:00
The bakery opens at 07:00, when the shelves are full and the terrace over the valley is yours. At Christmas, come back for its plum cake.
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Since 1911
A few doors along the same road, Keventer's is where the town goes for ham, bacon and sausages. Darjeeling takes part of its breakfast from the Raj, and this is that part.
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Chowk Bazaar, about 08:00
The town's own breakfast: a ring of rice bread, crisp at the edge and faintly sweet inside, with potatoes fried with turmeric, chili and a little tomato. Eat it standing at a stall, with sweet milky tea.
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How it is made
Rice flour, sugar and a little ghee are beaten to a batter and left about six hours to ferment on their own yeasts, which keeps the bread from drinking oil. It is poured by hand in a circle and turned with a stick.
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Our stall rule
We judge a stall by turnover and heat: sel roti lifted from the oil in front of you is safer than anything that has been standing. We skip ice and pre-cut fruit.
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Thursday
Most shops in Chowk Bazaar close on Thursdays, bakeries apart, and so do the zoo and the mountaineering institute. We turn a Thursday into a tea estate morning or a drive to Mirik.
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Planning it
A slow start suits the bakery terrace; the bazaar is at its liveliest early. Tell us how early you like to eat, and we will set your town mornings around one of the three.
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