India's Norkhill Hotel

On a trip I led to Sikkim state, northeastern India, in fall ’03, I found that the Norkhill Hotel (phone 910 3592-25637) in Gangtok has upgraded its guest rooms and bathrooms. In addition, the front office manager, Gyan Thapa, is a very capable person. The rack rate for a room, including breakfast and dinner, is 4,300 rupees (near $95) plus 13.2% tax and service charge.

Just off the main lobby is an excellent dining room that serves Western and local cuisine. The restaurant staff was friendly and attentive.

Try the traditional Sikkim dinner (354 rupees), which includes thukpa, a hearty vegetable soup with egg or rice noodles; momos, similar to a steamed ravioli or dumpling stuffed with cheese or minced pork; churpi, or yak cheese, with bamboo shoots, and dal simmered in stinking needle, which sounds unappetizing but is quite delicious. Not only was the meal superb, the table setting was elegant.

The meal starts with a drink of barley mash, the national drink of Sikkim. It is fermented millet served in a torigba (bamboo tumbler) with a wooden straw.

The hotel has a very small but well-stocked jewelry store where one-of-a-kind pieces can be found.

KATHLEEN ZURICH FUNG
San Francisco, CA