The Brook, a new bar by Sidecar’s Yangdup Lama, brings Himalayan flavours to Gurugram

This bar in Gurugram champions the Himalayan belt’s lesser-known ingredients, like Po Cha inspired by Ladakh butter tea, buckwheat tacos and beet arbi, served with crunchy jakhiya seeds

A new neighbourhood bar in Gurugram, The Brook, founded by the award-winning team of Sidecar (New Delhi) and Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy (Gurugram), conjures up the imagery of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s famous poem The Brook — how a little stream meanders through hills and ridges, never letting any obstacle impact its flow.

Once you enter the space, it is easy to forget you are in a busy part of the city. Dim lights and the interplay of wood and stone transport you to a cosy nook in the hills. A bespoke art installation using hook tapestry weaves, created by textile artist Julie Kagti in collaboration with Royal Enfield, is a seamless addition, reminding one of the diverse habitat of mountainous regions.

The cocktail programme and the food menu offer 16 signature concoctions and 36 dishes, spread between light bites, small plates and mains, in an attempt to showcase the lesser-known ingredients of the Great Himalayan Belt.

“Born and brought up in Darjeeling, with roots across the Himalayan belt, I have always had an affinity for the region, its rich heritage and beautiful produce. We are paying homage to those traditions through Brook,” says co-founder Yangdup Lama, who was recently awarded the Roku Industry Icon 2024 title by Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

The cocktail, Happy Himachali Hi Ball, sets the tone for the evening with its combination of blended whisky, reduced Himalayan apple cider vinegar, maple and sparkling water. It is zesty and will leave you feeling refreshed on a sultry day.

I also chance upon Po Cha on the menu and know I had to try it. Inspired by the butter tea in Ladakh, it has ghee-washed vodka, Himalayan pink salt, tea vermouth and brown-butter syrup. “Butter tea is usually made with yak butter in the mountains. Our idea was to convert the region’s welcome drink into a cocktail,” says Lama.

Next up is Duk Ley, meaning ‘it’s beautiful’ in Ladakhi. This gin-based drink has sea buckthorn as its dominant ingredient besides Himalayan honey and clarified milk. It is easy to wash down, making it one of their most popular drinks. The star of the show is Mitho Amilo (a Nepalese expression for sweet and sour) from Nepal. It has the flavour of gundruk, a dish from the region made of fermented and dried spinach. The date-and-jaggery syrup adds the right amount of sweetness.