sarnins
Ajanta was the restaurant where I first tried soup curry about 35 years ago and was amazed by its deliciousness. Now, Ajanta has split into two lineages, one run by the founder (in Motomachi) and the other by his former wife (in Minami 29-jo). In my opinion, the one that stays true to the old flavors is the one run by the founder's former wife in Minami 29-jo. The Ajanta in Nakanoshima is believed to be part of this lineage. I personally believe that the now-closed Hoshioki store was the best Ajanta. Their shrimp curry was truly unique and I miss it dearly. When I heard that Ajanta had opened in Nakanoshima, I waited for the right time to visit. Today, I finally went at noon on a holiday. The interior had only 5 counter seats, and the owner was handling everything alone. With only 3 stoves, they could probably only cook up to 3 meals at a time. Upon my arrival at 12:00, I was the first customer, followed by one person, then two more after 5 minutes, and another one 5 minutes later, filling up the seats. Two more people arrived later and had to wait. I like the "toriyasai" at Ajanta, so I ordered that. The second person who came in ordered the "tori." It seems like the "tori" is quite popular. Since the kitchen was in front of me, I could see the cooking process clearly. I didn't want to stare too much, but I could see that they were making everything diligently. The second person was served first, followed by me after about 3 minutes. However, I noticed that there were fewer vegetables in my "toriyasai" than I remembered. It used to have a lot more variety like broccoli and mushrooms. Nevertheless, I proceeded to taste it. The soup was just like the original Ajanta flavor. It resembled the one from the Minami 29-jo store. I'm not a fan of overly spicy curries, but Ajanta's curry has a nice balance of spice that brings out the flavors. It's a bit spicy, but the richness of the spices is what makes it delicious. I started sweating as I ate. Ajanta has had various offshoots, but if the quality drops, the taste can become too salty. This place, however, seems to be faithfully following the recipe, as there was no excessive saltiness. The chicken in the dish consisted of 2 legs, which is typical of Ajanta. They were tender and tasty. The carrots were also soft and delicious. But paying 1,600 yen for the "toriyasai" seemed a bit expensive until I saw the bill of the person who was served before me, which was also 1,600 yen. That person had ordered the "tori." When I paid 2,000 yen for my meal, I received 800 yen in change. It seemed like I was undercharged, but I didn't make a fuss about it. Maybe it was due to the owner handling everything alone and not keeping track of orders. I left the restaurant thinking, "That was a great meal."

