Jade Dragon (Vivanta By Taj Dal View)

We are located inside the Vivanta By Taj Dal View up in the Brein area of Srinagar. The drive up to Kralsangri is quite steep, but once you get here, you can see the whole lake. We work in the kitchen and the dining room, mostly focusing on the dishes we serve every day. It’s a beautiful spot, but it’s also a lot of work to keep a place like this running when the weather turns cold. We have to make sure the heating is working and that the windows are clean because people come for the view. The kitchen can get quite loud with the clattering of pots and the chefs shouting out orders. We have a mix of local staff and people from other places. Sometimes the supplies from the valley take a little longer to arrive if the roads are blocked, so we have to be flexible with our menu. It’s not always perfect; we’ve had nights where the power goes out and we have to rely on the generators. But we just keep going. We spend a lot of time polishing the glasses and making sure the tables are set just right. It’s a busy life up here on the hill, even if it looks peaceful from a distance. We just keep the stoves hot.