kinako-anko
On November 12, 2020, I bought the delicious "Toncho" rice dish as a souvenir at "Kenkasa" in the food section on the basement floor of Hankyu Umeda Main Store and got off at Nakatsu Station, just one stop away on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line. I met up with a friend at the store we had reserved at 6:15 pm, which was Cafe "Cante Grande Nakatsu Main Store," established in 1972 and said to be the birthplace of Japan's chai culture. Going down the stone steps to the basement floor of the building, the store is surrounded by a jungle-like garden with trees and decorated with Indian ornaments, creating an ethnic atmosphere. They serve Indian dishes such as curry with chapati and tandoori, as well as a variety of Western-style sweets. Interestingly, I had mistakenly arrived at this place four days ago instead of "Cante Grande Bakery" near Nakatsu Station, and I was attracted by the wonderful atmosphere and curry menu at that time, so my friend immediately made a reservation online. Since there were only two groups of three people each in the spacious store, we could have gone without a reservation. We were seated at a two-person table, and the prices were all inclusive: Carlsberg bottled beer (Denmark) for 680 yen, and a two-dish plate C for 1380 yen. I chose the refreshing Carlsberg beer, and my friend had the "Tandoori Chicken Chapati Set" with an "Iced Chai" for a toast to the end of the workday. The dishes arrived in 6 minutes, and we started eating. The white large plate of "Two-Dish Plate C" featured "Coriander Chicken Curry" and "Lentil Curry" as two seas, with a small mountain island of yellow turmeric rice in the center. Between the two curries, there were pickled vegetables and stewed beans, and on top of the rice island, there were what seemed to be dried and fried onions. The "Coriander Chicken Curry" looked like Thai green curry, but it had a unique taste of coriander paste made in a mixer, which was mellowed by coconut milk, creating a spicy curry with a blend of sweetness and spiciness. The small pieces of chicken were plentiful and delicious. On the other hand, the "Lentil Curry" had a gentle flavor, and it tasted even better when mixed with the two curries. Additionally, the pickles with a pleasant acidity and the bean side dish were mixed together, creating a plate reminiscent of Osaka-style spicy curry. I tried a piece of my friend's "Tandoori Chicken" and dipped some Indian bread, "Chapati," into the "Butter Chicken Curry," which was a classic Indian curry and indeed very delicious. My friend used the points accumulated from GoToEat, so we got a discount, which was lucky! Even though we were already 80% full, little did we know that we would end up having yakiniku after this. Thank you for the meal!