Shillong: A Foodie’s Delight
- Travel Bandar
- Mar 19, 2018
- 5 min read
Sunset at Bara Pani
Have you ever wondered that every place has a calling? As eerie as it sounds, I believe that instead of us visiting a place, it is the place that calls us & all travel plans fall into place!
Back during my college days, when an opportunity to pursue education at IHM Shillong came my way, I gave it up for greener pastures, a decision that kept me away from this wonderful city.
So when my bud Larsing Ming calls me to watch a football match between Lajong FC and Mumbai FC, the Travel Bandar’s got to go!
What was supposed to be a weekend football gig turned out to be a gastronomic tryst with the Scotland of the East.
Day 1 Mumbai – Guwahati flight, Guwahati – Shillong bus.
The Guwahati – Shillong drive is very refreshing: the winding tarmac, the hills and the colorful countryside offer a peak into the colorful lives of the Khasis.
Unpredictable weather often invites you to this lovely capital city with a slight drizzle, to compliment the Khasi warmth that you receive here!
Khasi Kids Marching to School
My first gastric encounter was at an unassuming turquoise shack in the middle of the highway at Umsning. They only serve Dry Beef (Doh Masi Sdeh), Pork in Curry, (Doh Sniang), local rice and a local vegetable called Kochu. The beef was more like a cold cut version and pink from inside which is very rare to find. The pork was boiled with very little spice, turmeric and dash of ginger–garlic. For my first attempt at Kochu, something green and slightly pungent, I found it to have an unusual taste. Maybe it was the great food or the drive, the only thing I remember about this place is that it was run by Avril.
Foodstop at Umsning
My destination was Ri Kynjai, Serenity By The Lake, a beautiful property owned by Ming. Aptly named because it overlooks the Umiam lake, also known as Bara Pani. Adorned with Khasi-inspired architecture, this place also houses a great restaurant called Sao Aiom that serves traditional northeastern dishes among the regular Indian fare. Must try the simple and scrumptious turmeric chicken fried rice.
The Room at Ri Kinjai - img src http://www.rikynjai.com/
Day 2:In and around Shillong
I strongly believe markets bare the soul of a town, and for my fixation with markets, I had to visit the Bara Bazaar, a never-ending chaotic maze of vendors. My find at this market was Sohphi: an indigenous form of raspberry. The yellow variety is cringy sour, while the red was nectar sweet and a great palate cleanser. Another interesting find at the market was Sopro, a kind of an organic body scrubber.
Red Sophie - img src - http://thenortheasttoday.com/
With food on my mind as always, I ended up at a small new-age eatery called Jadoh at Don Bosco Square, Laitumkhrah that serves traditional Northeastern cuisine with a modern twist. The thali comprised of beef curry (Doh Jem Masi), smoked pork (Doh Sniang Thad), bamboo shoot and yellow rice sprinkled with spring onions. I had assumed that food in Shillong would be reasonably bland, but that beef curry proved me wrong, it was flavorful and spicy. The smoked pork had a subdued smokey flavor as it was smoked first and then preserved and later cooked in curry, which is just one of the many pork preparations. But the hero of the dish was the mighty Brinjal Chutney, three individual flavors of brinjal, mustard and chillies ground to make a tangy delicious sauce to balance the strong flavors of the entire dish!
Thali at Jadoh
A content stomach was followed by the main purpose of the trip: the Lajong FC vs Mumbai FC match. The Lajong team had the opponents eating off their hands, a one-sided match. Although Mumbai FC did manage to score a goal, but it was a very facepalm-y self goal!
Back in the frantic Police Bazaar, Trattoria welcomed us for dinner. More of a canteen, their Jhur Kleh, a dish of mixed veggies with pork and chicken made by day! Delicate spices with the smokiness of pork made sweet food music. The Khasis sure love their meat without overpowering spices, akin to their lives in the hills.
Day 3: Food & music
With Elephant falls, Cherrapunji and music on the itinerary, we left to the see the waterbody quite early in the morning. Because although 12 km out of Shillong, Elephant falls is a major tourist attraction and roads leading to it get jammed. The milky white falls are quite amazing with its three-layered drop. The third layer is liquid poetry! It's like someone is pouring cold milk on dark chocolate! It got its name because the British saw an elephant-looking rock at the end of the falls. That part of the rock disintegrated and was washed away during an earthquake in 1897. So if you don’t see an elephant don’t get disheartened. The Khasis call it Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew, which literally translates to 3-step waterfall. Duh!
Elephant Falls
Who can forget the eminent Grade 3 geography fill-in-the-blank: The highest rainfall in India is observed in ______. Answer: Cherrapunji. As an ode to my basic high-school geography lesson, I had to visit this place out of a whim! No more holder of that record, the tourist-iest thing to do in Cherrapunji is visit the Sever Sisters Fall, a team of 7 spectacular falls dropping from about 1050 ft. symbolizing the 7 northeastern states.
The 7 Sisters Falls
I decided to have lunch at the canteen-style shack on the winding roads between Cherapunji to Shillong. Again, I cannot tell you the name as it didn’t have any, but it is famously called as the restaurant run by Aunty Gracie La, and is also opposite valley point (one of those touristy vantage/photography points). Must try is her famous and mindblowing Chera chicken. By my third serving, I was adamant on knowing the recipe, which was onions, chicken and pepper simply cooked in water without a drop of oil! The humble life!
That's me in the Orange T-shirt having Tea. Also look out for this place when you want to eat Chera Chicken
I also tried the smooth and strong Kyat Lei, a local Khasi wine prepared by condensing rice vapors. One small shot is sure enough to send you in a dizzy!
Following a friend’s recommendation, I visited Swish Café, near Beat House, Laitumkhrah Main road. Apart from good food, they had a three-member band playing unplugged versions of songs of Metallica, Linkin Park, GnR and other popular bands. This is where I had my first encounter with Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, which over the years has now become my travel anthem. The band then followed with their own songs that were truly amazing and soaked my soul. It’s sad that such great bands get recognition very less than what they deserve. Another thing that struck me in the café was the fashion. The youth and people in general are 5 years ahead in terms of fashion as compared to the rest of India. The women will give the best European ramp models a run for their money.
I left Shillong with a heart full of amazing food, winding hill views, friendly and fashionable Khasis and a warm promise of returning to this place time and again!
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