北のもみたろう
On a certain weekday, I had lunch at an Indian curry restaurant in the Okurayama area of Higashi Ward. The parking lot seemed sufficient, located in the same building as a futsal facility, with enough space both in the front and back. The interior of the restaurant was a small, family restaurant-like space with high ceilings, and I couldn't help but wonder what the previous establishment was. There were large communal tables perfect for a girls' night out, as well as a counter facing the wall where you could watch futsal practice while enjoying your meal. In the center, there was a buffet-style spread of dishes, with local music playing in the background and local music videos playing on a giant screen. On this particular day, upon being seated, a local gentleman informed me in broken Japanese that it was a buffet for 90 minutes (1180 yen). I started with a bite of the plain naan, which was thin and firm with a nice chewy texture. The cheese naan had melted cheese between the layers, making it surprisingly delicious. The sesame naan had a sweet taste similar to a pastry. There were five types of curry available, with the butter chicken curry starting off sweet and gradually becoming spicy with a hint of bay leaf. The curry of the day (spicy) contained shimeji mushrooms, chicken, and green peas, becoming increasingly spicy towards the end. The seafood curry had a strong seafood flavor with almost no spiciness. The keema curry was well-balanced and tasted like a basic curry. The Nepalese hot curry had a flavorful, thin broth that gradually became spicy. The chicken soup in the pot was surprisingly similar to a rich chicken bone miso ramen soup. For side dishes, there were papads, vegetable pakora, spicy chicken, chicken chili, Nepalese dumplings, salads, macaroni salad, mango yogurt, muscat and orange jelly, canned mixed fruits, and a complimentary plain lassi using a drink service ticket from Tabelog. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the buffet style lunch for only 1180 yen. I would definitely visit again if given the chance. Thank you for the meal.