Namaste India 2016 (Day 1)

Despite the rain, a decent crowd turned up for the first day of Namaste India 2016. There were so many great food options that Chris P. and I could barely contain ourselves. First, naturally, we headed to Mumbai's stall around 10am and tried our original dish: the Currito! Combined with a couple of beers, that set us up nicely for the rest of the event.

Curritos at Mumbai's stall

Naan-brellas

Chicken Tikka at Mumbai

Just as the atmosphere was gaining momentum, the heavens opened up and drenched the party.  A big crowd gathered under the solitary dry spot – a graffitied underpass. The rain didn't dampen our spirits, however. We continued making our way around and tried a selection of great dishes from various stalls such as Nandrini, Tulsi, Sonia, Suki Mahal, and Spice Magic Calcutta. Day two promises even more, with several stalls, set up by very well known Indian restaurants in Tokyo, waiting to be tested.

Food wise, there were several highlights. Apart from the aforementioned Curritos – mobile curry that's easy to eat and delicious with every bite – we feasted on such delights as pani puri, pav bhaji, chicken biryani, crunchy vada with coconut sauce, and hariyali chicken tikka. We were joined by a couple of friends, so we added a couple of staple fillers: chicken tikka, samosas, and a curry set which came with chapati, papad, a pile of basmati, fried chicken, and butter chicken. All of this had everyone pretty much full to the brim.

So, apart from the persistent showers, a good start to the event. Today already looks like it's better weather wise. It's going to get very crowded down there and promises to be twice as fun. Come and try a Currito at Mumbai's stall if the urge takes you. Some serious Indian curry heaven awaits!

Event details here

Phall NaanD  & Chris P. PapadD