Watching the Himachal Pradesh episode on #rajarasoiauranyakahaniyaan brought back memories of a hotel room dinner for one in Manali, from not very long ago. Asking around for recommendations for places serving local food brought up the unlikely-sounding name of Vibes. With no reviews to refer to online, I decided to take my chances and walked up the stretch of Mall Road to find this newish looking place on the first floor of a building in a corner. A quick look at the menu allayed my concern a little; they served dhams, those Himachali thalis I had heard so much about, but couldn't find anywhere in the touristy town. - - Since I wanted to try a little of the mutton too, they packed up a la carte portions of the Himachali mutton rara, a much better version of the cliched meat and mince curry you'll find at a random "Punjabi" restaurant, and my favourite find- the seppu badi. The latter is a "wadi"/cake made with lentils, cut into thick chunks and then fried to a crisp, to be added to the most gorgeous spinach sauce, smoky with mustard oil and fried spices. They also suggested getting more phulkas than the two I requested, an idea I really should've paid more heed to. While I waited, they served me a sample of the "meetha kaddu" dessert, that was similar to my mom's fantastic kaddu ka halwa. I trudged back to my hotel room and called for plates and cutlery. A glass of the region's plum wine later, I sat down to a satisfying meal with a lot of leftovers, since the portions were much bigger than the 'to serve 1' directive I had passed on to the maître d. I ended with another helping of the too-sweet kaddu, with a mental note to take the boy later to the place, which never materialized, because more food and fluid plans got in the way. - - Longish story short, Vibes is possibly your best bet to sample local cuisine, if you tire of the overrated cafes and pizza places in Manali; I did. - - #manali #himachali #himachalpradesh #manalifood #manalidiaries #latergram #VibesManali #goat #lentils #spinach #phulka #indianfood #spicyfood #dham #himachalifood #curry #mustardoil #spices #traveldiaries #travel #whatiate #vacayfood (at Manali, Himachal Pradesh)
