Text by Bassey

This time we'll be introducing everyone's favorite curry rice, the top 5 in Tokyo.

We will introduce five restaurants: Topka in Kanda, Monsnack in Shinjuku, Bondi in Kanda, Delhi in Ueno, and Murgi in Shibuya.

I wonder how much curry rice people in this country eat in a year. Japanese people eat a lot of it, both at home and outside.

What stands out most when eating out is the proportion of older men at curry restaurants, although it depends on the establishment. They come alone and gather at curry restaurants. The sight is so great that it makes you feel hesitant to join in (laughs).

Well, that was a joke, but this time I would like to explore the curry rice restaurants that are so popular among older men (and of course women and children too).

However, Tokyo's curry is a profusion of varieties. This time, I decided to limit myself to curry rice, which is made by Japanese people and eaten with white rice. Keema curry is also excluded. Of course, there is nothing like the curry eaten in Japan in India. Just as local Chinese restaurants are different from Chinese cuisine, curry rice is unique to Japan.

I should clarify that I'm no curry expert, nor have I tried every curry in Tokyo. I generally prefer runny curry over thick, European-style curry, but I found both to be equally delicious.

This time, I visited many popular restaurants. I realized something there. I don't really understand the spice curry that is served by relatively young to middle-aged people.

There are many restaurants where the chefs have trained in India, and they all put their heart and soul into using spices in their own way. It is certainly admirable that they are doing so hard, but I feel that the "umami" of the food is being left behind. I am in India (in Japan they are all lumped together)I've eaten a lot of curry-like foods twice now, and every single one was incredibly delicious the moment I put it in my mouth.

It seems like the popular restaurants right now are clearly trying to be Instagram-worthy. I was also shocked to find that many of them serve curry that lacks flavor. After visiting about four super popular restaurants, I thought, "Enough is enough." But I was doubly surprised that the restaurants were still packed with customers.

I may sound arrogant, but I hope that what I have said above and below will be of some use as just one old man's opinion.

Topka: A famous restaurant with plenty of confidence
Gentle but with depth of flavor

This is a famous curry restaurant that has been in Kanda Sudacho for a long time. After all, the restaurant name is "Topkapi." I thought it might be related to Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, butGListプ・Quality ofMosquitoesIt is an abbreviation of "Lee." That confidence is impressive.

This is a fun restaurant where you can order Indian or European curry (we call it curry), or a combination set of both.

European-style curry is made by simmering well-fried onions with over 20 spices and chicken stock for over 12 hours, while Indian curry is enhanced with cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin to enhance its aroma and spiciness.

If you look at the website, you'll see some amazing things written there.

"We put no effort into either of these!"

"I think curry restaurants that use the same curry roux for all their menu items are making a fool of their customers."

Ugh, he's picking a fight. This is going to be tough.

Therefore, each and every curry at our restaurant is cooked in a frying pan after an order is placed. They apparently use different curry roux depending on the ingredients. That's the most basic of basics for Indians.

There are 18 a la carte dishes, including khima curry and hayashi rice, and five assorted dishes: A. Beef tendon curry and Indian pork curry, B. Mutton curry and Indian pork curry, C. Khima curry and Indian pork curry, D. Butter chicken curry and Indian pork curry, and E. Butter chicken and beef tendon curry. After much deliberation, I chose E.

It's as if two lakes of different colors are separated by a continuous white mountain. In the photo, the beef tendon is in the foreground and the butter chicken is on the other side. You can enjoy both European and Indian cuisine.

The beef tendon curry is not spicy but has a mild flavor. It has the sweet taste of onion, the flavor of wine, and the richness of butter. The beef tendon is easy to chew, with only a small amount of its shape remaining. This is probably because it has been thoroughly simmered.

The butter chicken is filled with large chunks of chicken and potatoes, and the butter tastes rich. However, it seems to have less spices and butter than the butter chicken made by Indians. This one is also more viscous and has a very mild flavor.

Although it is mild, the variety of spices and the depth and breadth of flavor are impressive, making it a truly enjoyable experience to eat curry. I have a high tolerance for spices, so it didn't bother me, but the guy next to me, who was eating the same curry, was sweating profusely. He must have been reacting to the spices.

The rice is cooked quite hard. It's not watery, so there is a little bit of rice left over. I wish there was an option to increase the amount of curry.

"Monsnack" is "Paradise for Old Men"
This quality is amazing at this price

This is a nostalgic store. It's located in the basement of Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku. This underground mall is also home to the fresh spaghetti restaurant "JINJIN," which I used to frequent when I was a student.

Now, "Monsnack" is very famous as a restaurant that boasts "the original smooth curry." It was founded in 39. After being closed for earthquake-proofing work on the building itself, it was renovated and reopened in 2024, much to the delight of its many fans.

The inside has been completely modernized and remodeled into an extremely clean restaurant. Not a speck of dust to be found. Somehow, curry restaurants have the image of being allowed to be dirty, with the smell of spices clinging to the walls, but this place is spotless. Of course, they don't make everything from scratch in the restaurant, but that's what will impress you first.

Next, as usual, I was surprised to see that there were a lot of middle-aged men on both sides of the aisle. There were 22 seats, and only one woman. I also want to praise the courage of the woman who invaded this "old man paradise" (lol).

I ordered the "Egg Curry" with a croquette topping. The base was pork curry made with stewed pork belly, topped with a boiled egg. I was impressed by the bargain price of just 800 yen for the egg curry alone.

The speed at which it comes out is amazing. The "watery" texture is also amazing. The thickness is about 10%. Because it is based on bouillon, it almost feels like soup curry. It also has a unique, strong sour flavor. The chutney stings your nose. It's so much fun to sprinkle it on rice.

Of course, it's not just sour. The spiciness is mild, and you can occasionally taste the sweetness of the onions. Because it's made with bouillon, it's also very flavorful. Someone once said, "Curry is like a drink," and that's exactly what it feels like. The fact that it's so smooth means it can be mixed evenly with rice is what makes it great. The pork loin is so tender that it can be easily torn apart with a spoon.

The beef croquettes were freshly fried and piping hot. The bright red fukujinzuke pickles were delicious. The green pickled cucumbers were just salty.

There's no doubt it's addictive.

Both the chicken curry and fried chicken curry look delicious. I'll try one of them next time. By the way, they apparently change the curry roux depending on the ingredients.

You'll inevitably have to queue, but there's no need to worry as the turnover rate is extremely high, just like a standing soba restaurant. In fact, even now I think it's a wonderful and famous restaurant. By the way, there is also a branch in Shinjuku Nomura Building.

European-style curry Bondi Kanda Ogawamachi branch
The comforting and satisfying taste remains unchanged

You might be thinking, "What, why are you here now?", but good food is good food, so there's nothing I can do about it.

One of the things I used as reference this time was a curry special feature in a certain gourmet magazine, but I was left with a terrible experience with the lineup. I understand that it is the magazine's mission to discover new restaurants, but it would be counterproductive to prioritize novelty and introduce restaurants that make you scratch your head.

After a string of spicy curries like that, I felt relieved when I tried Bondi.

That's right, it has to have some flavor, I thought, nodding as I ate it.

This is a restaurant that everyone knows, and it won the Grand Prix at the 1st Kanda Curry Grand Prix. It is truly amazing that they have been able to maintain the same flavor for decades. And yet, the main store has incredibly long lines, and it is not uncommon to wait two hours.

The defining feature of Bondi's curry is the sweetness of the fruit and the rich, deep flavor brought by the stock.It's a French-style dish, as you'd expect.

According to the founder, Mr. Murata, who moved to France in 1968, he had a part-time job at a French restaurant and discovered the amazing flavor of sauces. His curry is based on French brown sauce and is made with a variety of spices.

Its features are:

"- It uses a generous amount of dairy products to create a mellow and rich flavor.- It is made by frying apples, other fruits, and vegetables such as onions in plenty of butter for a long time, then simmering it in red wine to create a jam called fruit and vegetable chutney, to which butter and red peppers are added for added spice."

That's why the sauce, or rather the roux, is smooth and has a variety of depths. It's a completely different approach to Indian cuisine. Even in the most popular chicken curry I ordered, the chunky chicken is marinated in spices and then grilled until crispy, without being stewed. It's fragrant, and that's what makes it so great.

By the way, I ordered a large portion of curry roux only, but still ended up with a little bit of rice left over. This is what they have for European-style curry. I'm sure shrimp curry and clam curry are also delicious. I wanted to try the "smooth pudding" dessert, but this branch didn't have it. What a shame.

"Delhi Ueno Store": What to do if you miss this place
Curry fans will be angry

Boasting a history of over 60 years, this restaurant is the definitive place for Tokyo curry. Well, you can't go wrong here. It's unusual, but this restaurant specializes in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. It's strange to see two countries with bitter rivalry listed next to each other, but the founder, who was a trading company employee, apparently studied Indian, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan curry before the war.

First up is the famous "Kashmiri Curry." It's an intentionally dark curry, and the color and flavor come from caramel. It's super watery, or rather, it's almost a soup. It's the ultimate in having absolutely no thickness.

This is so spicy that the restaurant calls it "Strong Hot." It's not just one type of spiciness like "Mōko Tanmen Nakamoto," but the spiciness from a variety of spices is intense. However, it's not just spicy; underneath the spiciness, the complex sweet and bitter flavors of onion and caramel spread. It's deep and flavorful.

Furthermore, the shiny rice was amazing, bringing a sweetness to the super spicy curry. The rice was far more delicious than any of the other restaurants I visited this time. This rice is amazing!

So overall, this could be said to be a kind of pinnacle in curry.

I rarely have any reaction to spicy food, but sweat started trickling down the side of my head. My lips were tingling, of course. The spice was working all the way to my stomach. Therefore, this is definitely not something I would recommend to anyone who is sensitive to spicy food. It will probably just be painful.

However, it seems that there are a lot of people out there who like spicy food, and there were three customers in the full restaurant who asked for something even spicier, saying "Very Hot." That's amazing. What's wrong with your taste buds? If you eat something like that, you'll damage your stomach and esophagus (lol).

After finishing my meal, I took a 30-minute walk and then returned to have the mildest "butter chicken curry." I'm still as stupid as ever. The waiter had a strange look on his face (lol).

This curry is mild enough that even children can enjoy it. However, mildness is just a superficial description, and it is still a curry for advanced connoisseurs. The sweetness and aroma of cashew nuts, the sourness of tomatoes, and a hint of spices with the thorny spiciness of roses are all lurking. Yes, it's really flavorful. This is also truly wonderful.

For those who want to enjoy both spiciness and flavor, the "Indian Curry Hot ★★★" would be a good choice.

It's delicious in just one bite!
"Indian Cuisine Murgi" is a great restaurant

Founded in 26 in the Hyakukendana Shopping Arcade in Dogenzaka, Shibuya, this restaurant is famous for its curry topped with a towering amount of white rice. This place is also surprisingly unpredictable, and you might say, "What's that?", but if you order the dishes in order of deliciousness, you can't go wrong.

When the first restaurant opened, it served Myanmar (Burmese) curry, but now Indian and Japanese elements have been incorporated. The salad "gado-gado" on the menu is Indonesian, and "hayashi curry" is Japanese, so the nationalities of the dishes are quite mixed.

I ordered the shop's recommended "Murgi Curry with Egg," which consisted of white rice like Mount Everest, jet-black curry lying at the foot of the mountain, sliced ​​boiled eggs, and a sliver of ketchup on top.A drizzle of cream is drizzled on top of the curry.

The flavor is so strong that you'll think, "Mmm, this is delicious!" after just one bite. Of the five restaurants introduced this time, this one has the deepest flavor, second only to Bondi. They simmer chicken, vegetables, and fruit for about a week, adding more than 10 kinds of spices. You can also taste the roasted onions.

It was quite watery. The chicken had almost completely fallen apart and turned into fine fibers. The spiciness was just right, with a hint of bitterness, but the rich flavor made my tongue tremble with delight. The boiled egg, which softened the spiciness, and the sweetness of the ketchup were perfectly balanced.

The curry is accompanied by a yellow tsubozuke (pickled vegetables), a mixture of fukujinzuke and pickled red ginger. Pickled red ginger is not found anywhere else, but it's a great idea.

After sipping it, I felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking, "Ah, I just ate something delicious." And it made me want to have it again. By the way, you can request the spiciness level, from dry to very spicy.

Author profile

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.