Lunch at Salbon Dhaba in Sundara

Day 10!! Can you believe it?! Look at how far we’ve come! Today we entered the state of West Bengal, the fifth out of six that we will drive through (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Sikkim)

We had another AMAZING lunch stop. It’s interesting to experience the differences in food and drink as we have come further north. Food has become spicier. Naan has appeared on the menus and porotta, my favorite bread offering, has disappeared. At least where we’ve been eating.

We ordered basmati veg thali, which was a platter with rice and small bowls of various dishes and accompaniments. And paneer masala and a stuffed flat bread called Masala Kulcha. And the owner suggested that we try the signature drink of the area, Burhani, which is good for digestion. It seems to be a type of lassi or at least related, with yogurt, mint, chilis, salt and other spices. It was like nothing I’ve tasted before!

And the bill totaled about $5 US.

I forgot to mention last night - when we visited the hotel’s bar/lounge last night for a beer (Kingfisher Strong, maybe the best beer I’ve ever had because we were SO hot and tired), we were quickly shuffled into a little side room to have our beers. We thought that was a little weird, and I wondered if they don’t allow women to mix with strange men when drinking. Sure enough, soon another group of three with one woman were led into the room with us. We asked them if we were there because we were women and they confirmed my suspicion.Read more