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ABSOLUTE
DEMAZONG
When asked where
to find truly local
food, residents are
likely to direct you to
the hard-to-locate
Absolute Demazong.
Decked with bamboo
furniture and private
booths, the large space
remains off most
tourists’ radars. Indulge
in local dishes such as
pork with bamboo
shoots, pork with rayo
saag (mustard greens),
and sekuwa (a dry
chicken or pork dish).
To sample a variety of
MG Marg, is a good stop
to refuel with a coffee
and pastry after a long
spell of sightseeing
and shopping. Glass
windows overlook
the shops and bustle
on the street, and on
a chilly evening, the
warm yellow lights
and an array of hot
croissants, cakes,
and cheesy pizzas
offer much-needed
comfort. Take a cue
from the locals and
get a takeaway of
cookies or cakes for
late-night hunger
pangs. MG Marg;
+91/359-2220-
CAFÉ FICTION
The iconic Rachna
Books has been a city
institution for over
a decade. The indie
bookshop has expanded
to include a B&B called
Bookman’s. On the
ground level, it houses
the artsy Café Fiction.
With a glass frontage,
the cosy space looks
out onto leafy greens as
jazz music plays in the
background, and the
aroma of freshly
brewed coffee lingers
in the air. Posters
advertise poetry
reading sessions and
live gigs. The varied
menu, scrawled on
a blackboard above
the counter, features
French Press coffee,
W
ith diverse communities including the Lepchas, Bhutias,
and many Nepali sub-groups, Sikkim’s ethnic fabric is
rich and varied. Cultural influences from around the region—
Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal—have seamlessly amalgamated
with the state, giving rise to a cuisine that liberally borrows from
all these styles. Think hot dalley chillies and cheesy soups, fluffy
Tibetan breads and handmade local pastas. While traditional flavours
rule, Gangtok is a forward-looking city, with chic cafes and buzzing
bars with live music. From city institutions to hidden gems, this
guide tells you how to eat your way through the capital city.
Clockwise: Pork with mustard
greens, sekuwa (dry chicken),
and rice at Absolute Demazong;
on a chilly winter evening,
Baker’s Café is full of locals and
travellers catching up over coffee
and cake; the library and bookshop
above Café Fiction.
flavours, choose the set
Nepalese or Sikkimese
thalis, with rice, local
vegetables, lentils, meat,
and pickles. The winning
factor here, however,
is the availability of
otherwise hard to find
local drinks such as raksi
(a distilled millet-based
drink) and so-chang
(millet beer). NH-31A,
Hungry Jack Complex;
+91/837-203-
BAKER’S CAFÉ
Several outlets of
the chain are scattered
through the city, but
the branch on the main
shopping road,
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