viehcle
I first used Ajanta about 10 years ago, and at that time in Kyoto, Indian restaurants were not very popular outside of the downtown area, making this one of the more accessible Indian restaurants. The restaurant is located down Takatsuji on Teramachi Street, with the nearest station being Keihan's Kiyomizu Gojo Station, which is not very convenient as it is a local station, but it is about a 10-minute walk from Hankyu's Kyoto Kawaramachi Station. This is my first visit in 2 years, and while the base menu remains the same, there were a significantly increased variety of curry choices. As usual, I ordered the special lunch. It includes 2 curries, soup, salad, naan or rice, 1 piece of tandoori chicken, 2 seekh kebabs, and a drink, making it quite a generous meal. The soup is served in a pot and is a carrot soup with a fairly spicy kick, equivalent to about 3 cups. It is especially delicious in the winter, but still enjoyable in the summer. The salad is a simple mix of cabbage and paprika with dressing. The two curries I had were Chicken Korma and Prawn Masala. I was particularly looking forward to the Chicken Korma! Lunch curries usually only offer choices like butter chicken, spinach curry, or keema, so I have never seen Korma on the menu before. There are also not many places where you can choose prawns. I opted for prawns for an additional 100 yen. The Chicken Korma was mild and creamy, similar to a cream stew. It didn't go well with rice but paired nicely with the naan. The Prawn Masala had a good spicy kick to it. The curries here are generally on the spicier side. The prawns didn't have a very strong flavor, but it was a nice contrast to the Korma. You can choose between naan or rice, and I chose naan. It was slightly cold but still warm and delicious. One piece was enough for me. You can get a refill, but I was already full. The tandoori chicken was served with bone-in thigh meat and was also quite spicy. The meat was tender and flavorful, making it easy to eat. The two seekh kebabs were also spicy but packed with meaty goodness and were delicious. For drinks, there were options like coffee, chai, cola, ginger ale, lassi, and more. The price is 1490 yen for the basic lunch, with an additional 100 yen for the Prawn Masala, making it a total of 1590 yen. Considering the rise in prices, I think it's quite a good deal.