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.

Oiwa Shokudo

There's a type of meal offered at South Indian restaurants they call "meals." It's a platter of several different little curries, with achar (pickles...we REALLY love their achar) and yogurt, to be eaten in combo with a starch like rice or dosa. The name, meals, is a little weird to my English ear, this place makes one of my favorite meals platters. 

Their curries are complex and flavorful without being too spicy. The rice is alright and has free refills. Their papado (giant, thin crackers) are light and crispy. The laksa soup is zesty again, without being too spicy. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy. But with meals it can easily overpower the flavors. This time the "special" curries featured a good chicken curry, and a very nice Spanish mackerel (さわら) curry that was creamy and carried the sweetness of the fish through the other spices. The set included an iced chai and salad. We got an order of Indian mango sherbet (クルフィ) that was just delicious. 

The owner is a shy Japanese guy, but friendly nonetheless, and has great eclectic tastes in music. He has several personable staff, too. The whole place is rather eclectic. It's not like most curry places. It looks more like a luncheon cafe or a tea shop, with all kinds of cute decoratives and rustic furniture.

The shop is a small one, limited seating--three tables and a counter. And the tables are communal, so plan on sharing the space because while I haven't had to cue up too badly yet, they always have customers. The counter gives a nice view of the chef's work, but it sits pretty high above the hard-bottomed stools and there's no foot bar to steady yourself on--not the most comfortable choice. But even at a table you're going to feel a little pressed to eat it and beat it so the next diners can get a seat. 

It's also no easy feat finding this place. It's under the Chuo line trestle, across from Lawson, a two-minute walk from Nishi-Ogikubo in Tokyo.

This is not a place for casual dining and leisurely socializing. But if you like curry you'll want to make a point of finding this. We've been several times now--it's on our short list of curry restaurants.

4/5
TEL 03-6913-6641 (+81-3-6913-6641)
Budget ￥1,000～￥1,999