Spice Magic Calcutta North Indian NishiKassai

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Lunch
Price:   1800 yen
Payment:  Cash only
Dishes:  Mutton biryani, roti, salt lassi
English Menu: Yes
Smoking:Yes

Woohoo!  Another great Indian place finally!  I had heard from a friend that there were several Indian restaurants in the Kassai area, but it turns out it is over by NishiKassai station where the real goods can be found.

Spice Magic Calcutta is a small chain of restaurants that started in NishiKassai I believe.  They have 2 restaurants near the station, a northern Indian and a southern Indian restaurant.  They also have 2 other restaurants in Shinagawa and Yokohama, both of which serve northern Indian.  And I plan on visiting all of them eventually!  I'm especially excited for the southern Indian as that is harder to find.

Lassi and super tasty green stuff

The one I went to this Sunday is rather small, and it was still pretty crowded when I arrived past 1pm.  The curry lunch dishes looked great, but I love a good biryani and had to go for it.  They brought a "free" mango lassi and I asked if I could have a salt one instead and they had no problem with that.  The salt lassi was really good too, thin like I prefer it.

Decent salad with sesame dressing

The biryani came with raita, a thicker, salty yoghurt topping.  I may have overdone it a bit as it turned the dish quite salty, but it was still very good.   The flavors were all there, and I crunched down on several whole cardamom pods.  The mutton was fabulous too, very soft and tender, not tough like the last place.

Roti!

Oh and the roti!  I asked if they had something other than naan and they said they could make me roti if I wanted.  It was quite good, made of whole wheat flour.  I didn't see their full evening menu, but I wonder if they also have some of the other breads available too.

Mutton biryani with raita

The main downside I experienced was the smoking.  Maybe they have a non-smoking section but I was not offered it.  A couple of people lit up while I was eating and man...that is just gross.  Also, I didn't get to see their full menu or try any curries, so while this might be a place worth of an Excellent rating, I don't know enough yet.  I might change the rating in the future.

I am so pleased to find more good Indian in Japan, even if it is a bit far from us.  At least we get close on Sundays so we can pop over to Kassai after church now and then to get our Indian fix.