For those looking for the highest standards of hospitality you need look no further than Gurkha Durbaar in Peterborough; a name which exemplifies the pinnacle of service and food excellence. Experience, talent, skill and a sincere desire to treat guests with absolute courtesy pours forth like a fountain of goodwill to those who step inside. Here is all that is special about the kind of cuisine that began long ago in Nepal.
The land of Nepal which rises to meet the dominant peaks of the Himalayas was once a land of myth and mystery. Like an exotic ribbon she layscradled between the great plains of the Indian subcontinent to the south and the great land of China beyond the icy walls of Mount Everest and the other majestic summits to the north.
Sixteenth century travellers arriving there would have encountered the Mogul Empire which for two hundred years stretched its influence from Afghanistan to Kashmir. Much like the respected Ghurkha soldiers of modern day Nepal, the Moguls were fearsome warriors, spreading their culture as their conquests grew. Borrowing ideas they discovered along the way, their unique way of preparing food became one such legacy of those days which lives on in contemporary Mughlai cuisine.
Today you are warmly invited to experience that explosion of taste and the luxuriant texture of great food thanks to the brilliant team at Gurkha Durbaar. The setting could not be more opulent; the former library on Peterborough’s Broadway was opened in 1906 by the famous philanthropist and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie; a place which the team at Gurkha Durbaar fell in love with at first sight. It’s a staggeringly beautiful example ofEdwardian architecture which perfectly complements the ancient Nepalese mantra of ‘Atithi devo bhava’; literally translated to promise that; ‘guest are equivalent to god’; truly a level of Nepalese hospitality that is heavenly in every respect. It’s this team in fact that draws on well over three hundred years of culinary experience; the kind of expertise that’s grounded in the cuisine of the Gurkhas mothers which has been passed down from one generation to another. Many of these dishes have Royal connections having been assimilated by the Moguls through their history of conquest and exploration, taken from popular recipes favoured by the Indian Maharajas of the old world.
If you crave to be treated as a god (and who doesn’t) then Gurkha Durbaar has that experience ready and waitingfor you. For them your happiness is paramount, your pleasure their heart’s desire. Every delectable dish is prepared to a zenith of perfection and paired with an exclusive selection of wines that you’d expect in your dreams of paradise. That also goes for that birthday party you’re planning, that special wedding anniversary or indeed whatever celebration you have in mind. Making such events special to your spirit as well as your senses is exactly what Gurkha Durbaar is about.
The food that awaits your pleasure is infused with many of the spices that would have found favour on the Maharajah’s table; delicate blends of aduwa and lasun; better known to the west as ginger and garlic, bringing with them not only taste and aroma along but also their health benefits too. Turmaric, fenugreek, coriander, cumin and thyme seeds, along with salt and other seasonings add to the food that glimpse into the ancient past of the Mogul empire of long ago; Mughalai cuisine with hints of Mawabi and Nawari food adding to the authenticity of those amazing tastes from the past brought forward by expert hands to the present. Mughalai cuisine has quite a range of tastes, varying in its spiciness but always rich in aroma from the spices that are either whole or ground. Traditionally this food was presented as an elaborate buffet made from main dishes with plenty of accompaniments to add even more excitement to the senses. The influence of Newa cuisine only goes to make the food at Gurkha Durbaar that much more elaborate.
Originating in region of Kathmandu such recipes were set aside for their own special occasion, dishes that are now available to you whenever you wish. The dishes the Moguls invented and acquired even sound mystical; Khichda for example; goat meat slowly cooked enhanced with lentils and spices. Korma, Nihari, Samosa and a flat bread called
Bakarkhani are perfect partners. The tantalising tastes don’t stop there; Rogan Josh is a goat or lamb stew that can be enjoyed with Mughlai Paratha; a street fried bread with egg, onions and pepper stuffing. Aloo Ghosht is a delectable lamb and potato curry and is exquisitely mouth-watering. With dishes such as Pasanda and Rezala to discover, your taste buds will be going on a culinary expedition of their own.
For those who love Nepalese food in all its sensual richness; here is your chance to go one step further; to experience those tastes brought back from China and Afghanistan long ago to the Royal tables of Kathmandu, truly your chance to be treated as the moguls would have welcomed you; as a god.
