Kasauli has no shortage of cafés with mountain views, pretty bakeries and places people will insist you “have to try”. But somewhere in the middle of the tourist rush, there is an old-school sweet shop that has been doing things rather differently. So, take a pause and make sure you explore it too!
Kasauli’s Old-School Shop With Two Unexpected Snacks
Narinder Sweets sits inside Kasauli’s famous Heritage Market, and on a busy day, finding the actual shop can almost feel like finding the source of a human traffic jam. There are people crowding around the counter, plates changing hands constantly and tourists standing outside with the very specific expression of people who have already decided what they are ordering.
And then you notice the photographs!
The walls are dotted with pictures of the shop and its owner with Bollywood stars and other familiar faces. It is the kind of place where you start wondering who hasn’t eaten here yet. The celebrity visits, of course, are fun to look at, but the real reason the crowd keeps coming is much quirkier: bun samosa and bun gulab jamun.
The service is surprisingly swift considering the number of people packed into the place. There is no elaborate plating or dramatic wait. Most of the magic is already prepared; your snack is assembled, handed over, and you are sent on your merry way to find somewhere to stand and eat it.
The bun samosa is the savoury one, and it makes a pretty convincing argument for putting a samosa inside a bun in the first place.
The samosa itself is properly crisp, with those flaky, layered edges that make a good samosa so satisfying. But the bun gives it another dimension. You get the crunch of the fried pastry, the softness of the bread and the filling and chutneys tying everything together. It is familiar, but not boring. And that makes all the difference, because sometimes you don’t need a completely new dish. You just need someone to mess with an old favourite in exactly the right way.
Bun Gulab Jamun At Narinder Sweets Is A Mogger!
Then comes the reason I would happily go back: bun gulab jamun. This one sounds almost too simple. A soft bun and a gulab jamun. Sweetness upon sweetness! Surely that should be a little much? Somehow, it isn’t.
The bread acts almost like a blank canvas for the gulab jamun. It absorbs some of that syrupy sweetness while giving you something soft and chewy to bite into. The gulab jamun brings the rich, sugary hit; the bun keeps it from becoming an instant sugar overload. Together, they become this oh-so-squishy, indulgent mouthful that makes you understand why people order more than one.
And yes, two feels like a very realistic number here.
Narinder Sweets has a crowded little shop in one of Kasauli’s busiest markets, a few wildly uncomplicated combinations and decades of people coming back for them. Sometimes that is enough.
Also Read: What If A Gulab Jamun And Croissant Had A Baby? Internet Calls It ‘Shahi Prashant’
Actually, when the second bun gulab jamun is staring at you from the plate, it is more than enough.
Cover Image Courtesy: narindersweets/Google Business and Mahi Adlakha
FAQs
Where Is Narinder Sweets In Kasauli?
Narinder Sweets is located inside Kasauli’s Heritage Market in Himachal Pradesh.