Eating at Embassy

There are a couple restaurants in Shimla that I really like and that we go to all the time: Nalini and Alfa. Except for their pizza, which comes with processed cheese and a blah crust, everything Nalini makes is fabulous, from masala dosas to karadhi paneer and garlic naan to burfi. Alfa is a good place to go for a quick bite, and we almost always order the same thing: Danny gets pav bhaji, and I get a veg burger with a smattering of fries and a small vanilla shake.

There is another restaurant I enjoy that we don’t go to as often, perhaps because it’s ever so slightly out of the way from where we usually spend our time and perhaps because it’s ever so slightly expensive: Embassy. It’s a quiet little place, with lots of polished wood, huge windows looking out onto Shimla town, and hand-written signs quoting J. Krishnamurti, among others. There typically aren’t many people there the times I’ve been, so it’s a good place to get a little bit of peace and quiet, along with some gorgeous views and delicious food.

I mentioned Embassy’s food earlier, when I wrote about their chicken pizza and the bowl of veggies I’d had. The next time Danny and I went in for a meal, I had dal with rice (one of my very favorite comfort foods in India), and Danny had lamb with fried potatoes. There is usually just one person working who does it all: cooks, serves, and sells Krishnamurti books. He also owns the place. Despite the fact that there is a menu, he is happy to suggest something not on the menu – or suggest something entirely different if what you order isn’t available. He told me he would make my rice with cumin seeds, suggested the potatoes and lamb instead when Danny ordered a chicken pizza, and then further suggested tomato soup and banana lassis.

Everything was excellent. The tomato soup came with little croutons that were buttery and still crispy on the inside, even after sitting in the soup while we waited for it to cool. After having plain lassis (basically, just plain yogurt, water, and sugar) at other restaurants, the addition of banana was a welcome change. The rice was fluffy, and the dal had just the right amount of masala (spicy heat). Danny’s potatoes were amazing: absolutely crispy on the outside, and so perfectly cooked that they needed no extra sauces or seasonings. The lamb was tender, having been cooked in a sauce that tasted Moroccan to me (I recognized cloves, but I’m not sure what else was in there).

The bill came to Rs.600 (about US $12), which is two to three times the amount we usually spend for a meal. But we were also aware that Danny’s lamb dish would have easily cost about twenty dollars back home, and so, yet again, we were glad for a relatively inexpensive but fabulous culinary experience.