Onam: Feast of the Vegetarian Tiger

We finished work Saturday afternoon and popped by Kerala Bhavan in Nerima. They're always having some special menu or other and this time it was a meals in honor of the regional Indian festival of Onam, which commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu, the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali and mythologies of Hinduism related to Kashyapa and Parashurama...and something about a tiger where guys paint tiger faces on their bellies. We didn't see any tiger tummies abut they did make a nice presentation of the occasion's meals. It was all vegetarian. As colorful and tasty as it was, it was a bit sparse and we had to order some tandoori chicken to round it out.

Piwang: Too Beautiful to Eat, Too Good Not to

Oh, MAMA! Our excurrisions keep getting weirder and weirder. Piwang in Kichijouji occupies a room about the size of a shower stall, and it's stuffed deep into the Kichijouji labyrinth where, even with GPS and a map we circled it several times before we found it. And once we found it, we could barely get in; the space between the bar and the "bench" nailed to the wall wasn't quite enough for me to actually sit down (long legs), so I had to eat standing at an awkward angle. But MAN, was it worth it!

We finally found it with the help of our noses. It's just one guy with a couple of burners and bar. We just managed to get in before the 2pm cutoff time (despite the meandering search and a getting pulled over by a bicycle cop for a wrong turn). The folks who came a few minutes after us got turned away.








First of all, it's the most beautiful plate of curry I think I've ever seen. I mean, just LOOK at that! You have a choice of two curries (black sesame pork or chicken), or both. Pro tip: go with the "both." And while the chicken was good, above average even, it was the black sesame pork that blew us away. Neither was overly spicy; elements balanced well. If I had to say anything negative it would be that the chicken was just a tad salty for my taste. I was glad I'd brought a bottle of water. 

Me coming out the secret back way

A good navigation point is Suupaa Hottodoggu (Super Hotdog), in the same block; well worth returning for in it's own right.

I left satisfied...downright HAPPY from the deliciousness of his curry. piwang.jp

WHERE is it???