Lung (wind) and Ta (horse) translates to the carrier of positive, uplifting energy and this cafe lives up to its lovely name. Cafe Lungta offers traditional, home-style food from Nepal, Bhutan and Darjeeling. We were drawn in by the inviting smells emanating from the kitchen and the nearby dining tables, and were we glad we stayed for a meal!
Cocktails and Dreams is one of my favourite places in Gurgaon because the owners know that dining out is an experience, where food and drink is one of the factors. When I heard they had opened a new eatery above their famous pub, I made it a priority on my to-try list. This weekend, while we hadn’t really planned on eating there, it smelt just so heavenly that we were drawn in.
The Darjeeling momo, vegetarian and pork. This is possibly the first momo I’ve eaten where I’ve enjoyed the outer casing as much as the inside filling. Made of a traditional fermented dough, this really tasted like it was homemade (but at the house of a really fantastic Darjeeling based cook!). It was served with a coriander and sesame chutney, and the red-alert-blow-your-brains-out-spicy Dalle Khursani dip. This is made from ghost chillies brought to Cafe Lungta especially from Darjeeling. The dip was not my speed, but the green chutney definitely was. Delicious start to the meal.
The thakali thali came highly recommended and consisted of dal (kalo dal), curried vegetables, salad, fermented mustard leaves (gundruk ko achaar), daikon radish pickle (mula ko achaar), tomato relish (tamatar ko achaar), mustard potatoes, and spinach sautéed in red chilli and garlic, and steamed white rice. Everything was so unique, but consistently delicate and really packed with flavour. The spinach and curried vegetables paired so well with the rice and various achaars, that the flavour of everything was elevated.
A meal I would definitely repeat. If you’re a dal chawal fan like me, this is a Himalayan version that you cannot miss.
I can understand why Cafe Lungta stresses that its ‘tastefully Himalayan’. My previous forays in Bhutanese, Nepalese and Darjeeling food pale in comparison to this refined fare. The starter, a pork momo, came in what appeared to be a steamed bun but was the traditional Darjeeling style of fermented momo dough. Very tasty with the ghost chilli and coriander chutneys.
The highlight of the meal for me was the pork Shyapta with Tingmo, a steamed Tibetan bread. The pork was sliced and cooked with onions, peppers and tomato. It was spicy, with hits of chilly and ginger that made it pair well with the Tingmo.
Full points to the service because we took a while to decide what we wanted and then changed our minds a few times, eventually going with our pleasant (and patient) server’s recommendations. The menu is so well written with little descriptors of the cultural background of the dish that one can’t help the dilemma.
About time this region got proper representation in the restaurant world – we are definitely going back to try more.
Cafe Lungta, Ground Floor, SCO 23, Sector 15, Gurgaon. Open from 12:30pm-3pm and 7pm-11pm. Call them at 9810104439.
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