Reviews of the best Indian and Nepalese curry restaurants in Tokyo.

Feature Article:
Salma Tikka & Biryani, Shinagawa

Salma Tikka & Biryani, Shinagawa

Chris and I shared a great curry with friends the other day at a restaurant we were visiting for the first time: Salma Tikka & Biryani, Shinagawa. The restaurant is just a short walk up the hill from Shinagawa station in the direction of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and it’s a great little place for anyone who loves a curry and who either is staying in the area or just passing by.

We got there around 7pm and got a table for four. We were being joined by a couple of new friends who get equally excited about Indian curry, and they insisted that we take care of the ordering, which we were more than happy to do. Chris asked the waiter what he would personally recommend, and the waiter just replied “It’s all good”. So, we thought we’d put him to the test and go for a couple of favourite starters of ours and a couple of signature dishes of theirs. We ordered a portion of papad, several beers, and a plate of samosas. For mains we went for Baigan Tamatar, Fish Chili, and Chicken Loabdaar (another first), a plate of chapatti and some Tandoori Shimla Mirch (potato and cheese mash stuffed in capsicums). For the biryani challenge, we went for Mutton Shahjahani and Vegetarian Zafrani.

After warming up with the papad, the samosas and mirch arrived. The mirch were deep and flavourful and Chris pointed out that this is a spicy vegetarian treat that always leaps out as a starter for him and that it was great to see it on the menu. The samosas were prepared well with chunky ingredients in a nice pastry and went down well with our Kingfishers. We were joined by a couple more people and got some more of the samosas on the go – too good to resist. As they arrived so did the mains and the biryanis. The three curries went down an absolute treat and they satisfied the appetites of six of us. (more)