The all-day dining restaurant, The Thongsel. File picture

Taj Tashi executive chef Piyush Mishra decodes Bhutanese cuisine:

• Basic flavours: This is a modest cuisine with not too many flavours as ingredients are difficult to source. Chillies, either green or red and even dried red chillies, and lots of local cheese (of the same texture as ricotta) are used.
  

Vegetables, ingredients, cheese and even the meat are dried and stored as nothing grows on the terrain during the cold winter months.

• Signature dish: Ema Datshi, which is a simple dish with onions, garlic and their local cheese and chillies. Only salt and black pepper are added. Variations include Kewa (beans) Datshi and a mushroom Datshi.
  
• Preferred meat: Lots of pork is eaten here and chilli pork is a favourite, made with lots of butter.
  

Since Bhutan is a cold country, they love their cheese, butter and chillies, to keep themselves warm. Traditionally, the cheese would be exclusively made of yak milk but now, cow milk is also used.

• Must-have: Momos with Ema Datshi stuffing; Ema Datshi tempura (whole green chillies stuffed with local cheese is dipped into the tempura batter and fried); Eze, the traditional dip made of chillies, salt and a smattering of cheese.
  

Bhutanese cuisine has no traditional dessert.

The lobby of Taj Tashi is divided into three levels, like a traditional dzong (Bhutanese fortress) and has the motifs of cloud, dhung and double-dorje as decor elements. File picture

A view of the bedroom of a luxury suite. File picture

The hotel courtyard. File picture

The weekend market. File picture

With all the expectations of the much-touted happiness quotient that the Himalayan country of Bhutan promises, a short flight of about an hour from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport took off on an August morning. If Paro is one of the trickiest landings in the world, the fact that our aircraft started its descent through a rainbow (yes, really!) as the clear blue skies dipped into the green valley, made for a memory to be cherished.

The majestic Taj Tashi is located in the heart of the capital city of Thimphu, about an hour’s drive from Paro airport, packing in spectacular sights as our friendly driver Bheem delightfully meandered the bends.

The 10-year-old star hotel is a fusion of the traditional and the modern with its dzong-like architecture, lofty ceilings, Bhutanese motifs and state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities, much like the country itself — tucked away in the lap of the Himalayas.

In keeping with the requirements of the local law, the hotel is built around a traditional chimtog (roof), with five levels on the outside while the lobby is designed in three levels, modelled along the lines of a dzong (fortress). The motifs of cloud, dhungs (a kind of bugle) and the double-dorje are recurrent and are integral design elements in the hotel’s architecture — starting from the keychains to the handles on the front doors. The modern touch at Taj Tashi includes floor-warmers and bath-towel heaters in the rooms, and a modern temperature-controlled swimming pool.

The address is the choice of the Bhutanese royal family for their events, and it also hosted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to the country in 2016.

The Jungshi paper factory. File picture

At a glance

What: Taj Tashi

Where: Samten Lam, Chubachu, Thimphu (50 minutes from Paro airport)

Area: 13 acres

Keys: 66; all rooms face the mountains

Facilities: Ara, the bar; Rimps, the tea lounge; The Thongsel, the all-day dining; Chig-Ja-Gye, the Bhutanese fine-dining restaurant; an indoor temperature-controlled swimming pool; gym; Jiva spa; a business centre; a 2,700sq ft banquet hall with a bonfire courtyard and a lawn.

Sip ’n’ munch

Putting up at Taj Tashi made us put our worries (and cellphones) aside and partake in the happiness that Bhutan exudes, as the star-hotel offers a bouquet of outdoorsy activities for the guests to choose from. Here’s what we signed up for.

The bank of the river Thimphu Chu. File picture

Punakha Dzong File picture

Chig-Ja-Gye, the Bhutanese fine-dining restaurant. File picture

The Buddha Point or the Buddha Dordenma File picture

Ema Datshi — chilli and cheese stew — is the national dish of Bhutan. File picture

Dochula Pass. File picture

The whiff of fresh sandwiches. File picture

The 30-seater Chig-Ja-Gye (meaning 108) is the only fine-dining speciality Bhutanese restaurant in the country and is a favourite of the royal family.

The Ara bar — named after the indigenous fermented drink — whips up signature cocktails like the Aratini, to go with the live unplugged acts. Its outdoor seating area is the best spot to chill with a drink.

Rimps, the tea lounge, is on the top level and is ideal for those who want some solitary time, amongst books and the natural light filtering in through the windows.

A wooden cantilever bridge. File picture

The Buddha Point or the Buddha Dordenma

This 51metre gold-gilded statue was built to mark the 60th birthday of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan (whose son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is now the king); it houses over 100,000 smaller Buddha statues inside. Only a 15-minute car ride from Taj Tashi, the Buddha Dordenma is one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world and overlooks the Thimphu valley from its seat atop a hill in Kuenselphodrang Nature Park.

The weekend market

Located near the Wang Chhu river, this is the capital’s most thriving market where you can find everything — from knick-knacks like silver trinkets to the traditional Bhutanese dress (kira and goh) or fresh Eze and dried Suja tea leaves.

PS: And did you know every Tuesday is a dry day in Bhutan? Also, every Friday is a no-tolerance day, with cops being extremely vigilant.

The 80-seater all-day dining restaurant, The Thongsel, serves continental and Bhutanese cuisine and also doubles as a performance space for the daily cultural show if it’s raining. Guests enjoy the show with some salted butter tea called Suja, served with local delicacies as part of the high-tea spread.

A traditional prayer service is held every evening at 5.30pm at the altar in the courtyard where guests, depending on the weather, can also participate and light 11 butter lamps.

Hoentshey Ngo Ngou — stir-fried wild spinach with onion, garlic and chilli flakes. File picture

The Jungshi paper factory

Visit this handmade paper factory to witness the making of paper from scratch. Workers start with retrieving the fibre, before cooking it, drying it and eventually making strips of handmade paper that is the dream of a stationery lover. A small store on the premise sells dyed handmade paper and stationery where you can pick up souvenirs.

Dochula Pass

Located at a higher altitude than Thimphu, the Dochula Pass has 109 stupas (with 108 stupas in concentric circles and a central stupa). It was built to commemorate the death of 11 soldiers of the Royal Bhutan Army during Operation All Clear to expel ULFA militants, in aid of India, held between December 15, 2003 and January 4, 2004. Wisps of cloud enveloped the stupas when we visited it but on a sunny day, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the mountains. Advice on loading up on Avomine from one of the members in our group helped me handle the winding climb but the view was worth it.

Picnic by Thimphu Chu

Have you ever enjoyed an idle lunch, dipping your feet into the pristine waters of a river, only getting up to try your hand at — wait for it — the bow and the arrow? In perhaps what is the most special experience offered by Taj Tashi, the picnic by the river is any Enid Blyton fan’s dream come true. A 30-minute drive from the hotel transports you to the bank of the river Thimphu Chu, reserved specially for the Taj, where sun umbrellas and the whiff of fresh sandwiches in the making greet you. While I sipped on my glass of fresh watermelon juice and lazily gazed at the river, a shamiana laden with a feast fit for a queen awaited my attention. From a private visit for three-four to a more elaborate affair for 15 and upwards, Taj Tashi will pull off a picnic in the middle of the Himalayas!

Suja, the traditional salted butter tea. File picture

Punakha Dzong

In stark contrast to the misty Dochula are the sunny realms of Punakha, the winter capital of Bhutan. A short descent into the valley takes you to the second-oldest dzong in the country, which was in the global spotlight in 2011 for hosting the royal wedding of king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema.

Built at the convergence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, a wooden cantilever bridge leads visitors to the dzong, famous for housing the embalmed remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, considered the second dharma king. White-washed walls, tall columns, high ceilings, murals and home to the only mandala (wheel of life, or a power chakra) that starts inside and moves outwards, symbolising the transience of life, this dzong is reminiscent of the history of the nation and is also a celebration of the democracy in the country — it serves as the assembly hall for the local governance in Punakha.

Jasha Maroo — Bhutanese-style chicken curry with chilli flakes and spring onions. File picture

Aratini, a heady concoction of three kinds of rum, pineapple juice and pomegranate syrup, is a signature cocktail at Ara, the bar. File picture