The culinary experience

Most visitors to Corbett eat the same four dishes for three days and go home. The kitchen here runs Indian, Chinese and Continental because that is what people ask for — and Kumaoni because that is what the people cooking it grew up eating.

The Kumaoni table

Kumaoni food is built around what grows at altitude on difficult soil: millets, black soybean, hardy greens and a lot of resourcefulness. Not refined, not rich, and considerably more interesting than a hotel menu suggests.

• Bhatt ki churkani — black soybean, slow-cooked, nutty and deeply savoury
• Aloo ke gutke — potatoes with dry red chilli and local herbs
• Bhang ki chutney — roasted hemp seed with lemon and green chilli
• Madua roti — finger millet flatbread, eaten with ghee
• Kafuli — spinach and fenugreek thickened with rice paste, not cream
• Bal mithai — the khoya fudge Kumaon is known for

Ask the kitchen the night before and they will build a full Kumaoni thali. Winter is when the heavier dishes are at their best, which is also when you want them.

Eating outdoors

Tables move. A private dinner can be set in the gardens, by the pool, or outside your own door if you are in a Saalora Suite. A day's notice covers most setups; longer if you want something elaborate. We will do it quietly rather than announcing it to the restaurant.

Dietary requirements

Jain, vegan and allergy-specific meals are cooked properly rather than improvised. Jain food is prepared without onion, garlic or root vegetables in a separate preparation. Tell us at the time of booking so the kitchen can order for it — a kitchen can cook almost anything given notice and almost nothing given none.

For events

Catering for weddings and offsites is in-house, which removes an entire category of coordination problems. Tasting sessions happen before you confirm menus, and we recommend bringing the people whose opinions will actually be listened to.