THAB

Your first forty-eight hours in Ladakh ask something of your body. These are what Ladakhis have always reached for — and what we recommend before anything else.

From the riverbeds

• Sea Buckthorn Tonic◆

  250

  The bright orange berry that grows wild along the Indus. Ten times the vitamin C of an orange, drunk here for generations against thin air and dry cold.

From the churn

• Gur-Gur Tea(Butter Tea)

  120

  Salted tea churned with yak butter in a wooden cylinder. The single best thing for altitude, and every Ladakhi grandmother will tell you so.

From the pot

• Ginger, Lemon & Honey Infusion

  200

  Fresh ginger simmered long, raw honey, mountain lemon. Soothing, warming and caffeine-free — good at any hour.

Ladakhi specialities, from our Ladakhi chef. Everything here is made from scratch — please allow at least 35 minutes.

Small plates from the hearth

• Mokmok◆(v / nv)

  400

  Steamed or pan-fried. Hand-pleated dumplings filled with garden vegetables, with fire-roasted tsal chutney.

• Khambir Sandwich(v)

  350

  Stone-baked barley bread filled with garden vegetables, local cheese and mint chutney. Our most-ordered lunch.

• Apricot Jam with Khambir(v)

  250

  Halman apricots slow-cooked to a dark preserve, with warm barley bread.

Soups & broths

• Thukpa◆(v / nv)

  veg 400chicken 450

  The noodle soup of the Himalaya. Hand-pulled noodles in a clear broth of ginger, garlic, wild greens and root vegetables.

• Guthuk(v)

  450

  Flat hand-torn noodles in a thick, restorative broth. Eaten on the eve of Losar, when tokens hidden in the dough tell your fortune.

• Namthok(v)

  350

  A thin, warming soup of roasted barley and mountain herbs. Old, plain, and quietly perfect at altitude.

Made from scratch, the slow way — please allow at least 35 minutes.

• Yarkhandi Pulao◆(nv)

  650

  The Silk Road on a plate. Rice with saffron, raisins, apricot kernels and slow-braised mutton — a dish that came to Leh with caravans from Yarkand. Braised to order over 2½–3 hours — best reserved ahead, before the morning ends.

• Skyu◆(v)

  450

  Thumb-pressed dough shells simmered slowly with root vegetables in a rich stew. The dish Ladakhis away from home miss most.

• Chhutagi(v)

  450

  Bow-tie pasta, pinched by hand, cooked in a deep broth with turnip, carrot and local greens.

• Tingmo with Stew(v / nv)

  400

  Soft steamed bread, pulled apart by hand, with a slow-cooked vegetable stew.

Ladakhi desserts

• Dresil(v)

  300

  Saffron rice with desi ghee, dried yak cheese and apricot. Made in Ladakhi homes for festivals and blessings.

Ladakhi drinks

• Gur-Gur Tea(Butter Tea)

  120

• Sea Buckthorn Tonic

  250

• Apricot Juice, cold-pressed

  220

Clay, charcoal, and a fire we do not let go out.

• Murgh Malai Tikka◆(nv)

  850

  Chicken thigh in a mild marinade of cream, cheese and green cardamom. Charred outside, yielding inside.

• Tandoori Chicken(nv)

  800

  Half bird, bone-in, twenty-four hours in yoghurt and Kashmiri chilli, roasted hard against the clay.

• Chicken Tikka(nv)

  800

  Boneless, deeply spiced, blistered at the edges.

• Paneer Tikka(v)

  500

  Cottage cheese in hung curd and Kashmiri chilli, grilled with peppers and onion.

• Tandoori Mushroom(v)

  450

  Whole caps stuffed with herbed cheese, roasted over charcoal.

From Kashmir & the North

• Butter Chicken(nv)

  900

  Tandoori chicken folded into tomato, butter and cream. Our bestseller.

• Chicken Curry(nv)

  600

  Onion-tomato gravy, slow-built, warm-spiced.

• Kadhai Chicken(nv)

  600

  Wok-finished with crushed coriander seed, pepper and onion.

• Egg Curry(nv)

  350

  Farm eggs in a slow-built onion and tomato gravy.

Vegetarian

• Dal Makhani(v)

  450

  Black lentils over a low flame overnight, with butter and cream.

• Paneer Butter Masala(v)

  480

  Cottage cheese in a silky tomato and butter gravy.

• Shahi Paneer(v)

  480

  Cardamom and saffron cream.

• Palak Paneer(v)

  400

  Cottage cheese folded through spinach, garlic and cumin.

• Mixed Vegetable(v)

  400

  Whatever the garden gives, lightly spiced.

• Dal Tadka(v)

  350

  Yellow lentils finished with cumin, garlic and ghee.

Rice

• Chicken Biryani(nv)

  550

  Long-grain rice layered with spiced chicken and saffron.

• Vegetable Biryani(v)

  350

  Basmati baked with garden vegetables and whole spice.

• Jeera Rice(v)

  250

  Basmati tossed with cumin and ghee.

• Steamed Basmati(v)

  200

  Plain, fragrant, steamed to order.

From the bread oven

• Cheese Naan(v)

  120

  Stuffed with melting cheese, blistered in the tandoor.

• Garlic Naan(v)

  100

  Fresh garlic and coriander.

• Butter Naan(v)

  80

  Brushed with butter, straight off the clay.

• Laccha Paratha(v)

  80

  Layered wheat flatbread, crisp at the edges.

• Tandoori Roti(v)

  50

  Whole wheat, baked against the clay.

Alongside

• Veg Raita(v)

  120

  Whisked curd with cucumber, tomato and cumin.

• Green Salad(v)

  120

  Garden leaves, cucumber, tomato and lemon.

• Onion Raita(v)

  100

  Curd with onion and roasted cumin.

Wok & noodle

• Chilli Chicken(nv)

  550

  Crisped chicken in a hot soy, garlic and green chilli glaze.

• Chilli Paneer(v)

  450

  Paneer seared with pepper and onion in a savoury soy-chilli glaze.

• Chicken Fried Rice(nv)

  450

  Wok-tossed with egg, spring onion and soy.

• Chicken Manchurian(nv)

  550

  Crisped chicken in a garlic and ginger soy sauce.

• Chicken Chowmein(nv)

  350

  Hand-tossed noodles with vegetables and chicken.

• Vegetable Chowmein(v)

  300

  Noodles tossed with vegetables from the garden.

• Vegetable Fried Rice(v)

  300

  Rice wok-fried with vegetables and spring onion.

• Vegetable Manchurian(v)

  300

  Vegetable dumplings in a dark garlic-soy sauce.

Snacks

• Chicken Fry◆(nv)

  700

  Whole-leg portions, marinated and fried crisp.

• Vegetable Pakora(v)

  300

  Gram-flour fritters, hot from the pan, with mint chutney.

• Vegetable Spring Roll(v)

  350

  Crisp rolls of shredded vegetables, sweet chilli.

Soups

• Hot & Sour(v / nv)

  veg 300chicken 400

  Peppery, sharp with vinegar and white pepper.

• Manchow(v / nv)

  veg 300chicken 450

  Dark, garlicky broth with crisp fried noodles.

• Sweet Corn(v / nv)

  veg 250chicken 400

  Gentle, silky, comforting.

• Mulligatawny(v)

  250

  Lentil and curry-spice soup, a colonial classic.

• Cream of Mushroom(v)

  280

  Wild mushroom, thyme, finished with cream.

• Cream of Tomato(v)

  250

  Roasted tomato, basil, croutons.

Simple plates, cooked to order — for evenings when the mountains ask for something quiet.

From the sea

• Grilled Fish(nv)

  550

  Lightly seasoned fillet, lemon butter, seasonal vegetables from the garden.

From the grill

• Grilled Chicken Breast(nv)

  500

  Herb-marinated overnight, with buttered vegetables and potato.

From the pan

• Pasta(v)

  400

  Penne, your choice — arrabiata, in a fiery tomato and garlic sauce; or alfredo, with cream, garlic and parmesan.

From the griddle

• Chana Bhatura(v)

  320

  Spiced chickpeas with hot fried bread.

• Upma(v)

  300

  Semolina with curry leaf, ginger and mustard seed.

• Poha(v)

  300

  Flattened rice with turmeric, peanut and lime.

• Stuffed Paratha(v)

  250

  Potato, cauliflower or paneer, with curd and pickle.

• Pancakes(v)

  250

  With Ladakhi apricot compote or honey.

Eggs

• Cheese Omelette(v)

  250

• Masala Omelette(v)

  170

• Egg Bhurji(v)

  150

• Eggs Any Style(v)

  150

  Fried, scrambled, poached or plain omelette.

• Boiled Eggs(v)

  60

Sandwiches

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich(nv)

  350

  Herbed chicken, garden leaves, toasted bread. See also our Khambir Sandwich, in From Our Homeland.

Sweet

• Dresil(v)

  300

  Saffron rice with ghee, dried fruit and yak cheese.

• Kesari Kheer(v)

  200

  Rice slow-cooked in milk with saffron and cardamom.

• Ice Cream(v)

  200

  Vanilla, chocolate or Ladakhi apricot.

• Gulab Jamun(v)

  150

  Warm milk dumplings in cardamom syrup.

Cold

• Fresh Juice of the Day

  250

• Sea Buckthorn Tonic

  250

• Milkshake — chocolate, banana or mango

  200

• Fresh Lime Soda

  150

• Soft Drinks

  90

• Mineral Water

  60

Coffee

• Cold Coffee

  200

• Milk Coffee

  130

• Black Coffee

  100

Tea

• Kashmiri Kahwa

  150

  Green tea with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and almond.

• Gur-Gur Tea(Butter Tea)

  120

• Lemon Tea

  150

• Iced Tea

  120

• Masala Chai

  90

• Green Tea

  90

• Chamomile Tea

  90