まめぞう
The beautiful Mitsubiru building, which seems to be crumbling, has been maintained by putting tenants in continuously despite some complaints. The second floor used to be a Chinese restaurant called "Yuyuan" in Adachi-ku, Ayase. After relocating, a new Chinese restaurant called "Ko Nan En" opened. It was delicious, but later it became a gathering place for smokers. After that, a mysterious restaurant called "Niku Bar Shurasuko" opened, serving Indian curry and Shurasuko meat. In July 2020, a restaurant called "Tariya" opened. Tariya has a small main store near Nishi-Shinjuku Station on the Marunouchi Line, and has expanded to over 30 stores in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Osaka. When you enter the restaurant, you will see Nepalese people, so you might think it's run by Nepalese people, but it's actually run by Japanese people. The founder, Koshin Yoshikawa, worked for a long-established food distribution company, Meiji-ya, after graduating from university. After leaving the company at the age of 28, he started a promotional business that involved sending mannequins for tasting sales in food sales areas with low initial investment. The company quickly expanded its business thanks to the hospitality he learned at Meiji-ya, reaching an annual turnover of 1 billion yen within 10 years of its founding. However, the profit margin was low, and the work was tough. The sales plummeted rapidly, and many talented employees left, leading to a debt restructuring and a change in business. With the remaining funds, he took a chance with Tariya. Indian cuisine was chosen as it required few staff and surprisingly had few competitors if the focus was right. The curry at each store is made using a central kitchen system, and the cooking is done by Nepalese people. About 40 Nepalese people work as regular employees. The first Nepalese person was introduced through a store where Yoshikawa had trained before the opening, and others joined through introductions from someone. All of them work in the store, and they are either relatives, friends, or acquaintances from the same region, so they share the same religion, culture, and values, providing a sense of security for them to work in a foreign country. I have been seeing Tariya restaurants frequently in Tokyo recently, but this was my first time visiting one. When I went upstairs, the atmosphere was exactly the same as when it was Ko Nan En, as if it had just opened with complete renovations, except that it had become non-smoking. I ordered the classic "Tariya set meal" (979 yen), which includes two types of curry, naan, rice, fried egg, and yogurt. Naan is all-you-can-eat, and rice can be served in a large portion for free. I chose chicken keema and okra and eggplant bindi baigan for the curries. The restaurant was not crowded, but there were many Uber orders coming in. Soon, the plates arrived. The giant naan was not hot, but my fingers were sticky. I later cleaned my fingers with alcohol for infection prevention. The keema was spicy, and the bindi baigan was medium spicy, but even for someone like me who is not good with spicy food, it was okay, more like a mild spiciness. Both had plenty of umami flavor that Japanese people like. In authentic Indian and Nepalese curries, the taste is often light with just spiciness, but here, the amino acid-based umami was abundant. I was full with the naan and turmeric rice, and I didn't need a refill, as the naan alone was sufficient. Payment was cash only, so I paid 979 yen and finished my meal.