ランチ向上委員会
This is an Indian restaurant near Yoyogi Station. The restaurant is located underground on the street in front of Yamano Beauty College, and it stands out with the Indian flag displayed. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with Indian paintings, giving it a full Indian atmosphere. There are 5 tables for 4 people, 1 table for 2 people, which is standard for this area. The menu includes Thai dishes as well, but it is a pure Indian restaurant without any Nepalese influence. There is also a sister restaurant in Nishi-Shinjuku, showing that this restaurant is thriving in the area. The lunch menu offers curry sets starting from 820 yen, with the most expensive one being 1,080 yen, which is quite affordable for a restaurant in the city center. The daily special curry on this day was "Chicken and Chinese Yam." Chinese yam and chicken are a common combination in Indian cuisine, and it seems that Japanese ingredients like this are used in many Indian restaurants. I ordered the following:
- Biryani Set (950 yen): Chicken Biryani with a choice of mini curry. I chose mutton curry. The set also comes with a drink, so I opted for mango lassi. The mango lassi was served immediately after ordering, followed shortly by the biryani. The biryani portion was not particularly large, and it appeared to be made with red, orange, and white long-grain rice without visible spices or ingredients. It had a cardamom-like aroma but seemed to only contain powdered spices, resembling the biryani from a typical Indian curry shop in town. Unlike the one from the sister restaurant, this biryani did not contain whole spices and had a smaller portion. However, it had a decent amount of chicken, with about three pieces of chicken that were similar in size to regular fried chicken. The biryani was relatively spicy, despite being made with only powdered spices. The mutton curry, based on onions, was not oily like in Indian-Nepalese curry shops, and it had a light consistency with small pieces of meat that were flavorful. The combination of the spicy rice from the biryani and the flavorful meats made for a tasty meal. The salad consisted mainly of cabbage with a small amount of carrots and store-bought dressing. Although the biryani may not be exceptionally delicious, it is of decent quality for everyday dining. Compared to the sister restaurant, which offers larger portions and higher quality, this restaurant falls slightly short. However, considering the scarcity of South Asian cuisine restaurants in the Yoyogi Station area, this restaurant is recommended for those craving spices.