Nakano is one of my favourite areas in Tokyo. It’s a residential neighbourhood where lots of people who work around Shinjuku live, so it has a calm vibe, prices are low and there’s plenty of shopping, which is why I go there often. Usually I head to Nakano to buy used cameras, CDs, audio gear and the like, but this time I dropped by on an errand.
This is Milan, an Indian curry restaurant someone recommended to me as a hidden gem of the neighbourhood.
The entrance
It’s on the second floor in a side alley just before you enter Nakano Broadway, so it isn’t exactly easy to find. That area is a bit of a maze, and it’s easy to get lost even on streets you know. I’ll go into detail later, but rather than authentic Indian curry, they serve curry that’s been pretty much Japanised. The place isn’t very big and the entrance is narrow. It feels like every neighbourhood in Tokyo has at least one Indian curry specialist with this kind of concept.
The lunch sets are cheap. I order the 850-yen one, which is about the priciest. It’s cheaper than Khyber, which I went to before, but taking taste and location into account, Khyber is better.
Salad
It comes with a carrot dressing.
Lassi, served as the drink
It tastes fine, but it’s a bit sweet. You can also have coffee or oolong tea.
Huge naan
Nicely baked. Eating hot, freshly baked naan is the whole reason you go to an Indian curry place, after all. The food here is tasty, but everything was on the sweet side. Even the naan is sweet. And it’s so big that it gets cold by the time you’re finishing it, which isn’t great either. Isn’t there a place that gives you two small ones instead… hmm…
Shrimp curry
Sweet again, as expected, but the ingredients and the curry are good. You can’t really see them in the photo, but there were several big shrimp in there.
The spinach chicken curry I ordered
It looks grotesque, but it tastes good. If anything, I liked it more for being mild. It’s packed with stuff too, which I like.
Pork curry
Tasty, but sweet again. Still, I guess this style goes down well with people who only eat out now and then, since it makes an instant impression. For an eating-out master like me, it’s a bit heavy. That said, for the price there aren’t many places this decent, so I might drop by now and then when I’m in Nakano. I probably wouldn’t go alone, but I do know a few friends who like this type of restaurant…
Bonus: Shinjuku covered in fog
Up until last week it rained on and on, almost ridiculously so. The rainy season is supposed to be over, so what was that about… With gloomy weather like this dragging on, I was feeling down the whole time. Couldn’t go out and have fun anywhere… The weather’s finally cleared up a bit, so time to get moving again…