Ito MOMO Nepal Cafe is an Indian and Nepalese restaurant located in front of Maruta Ike Park, on the north side of Route 202, extending from the north side of JR Chikuhi Line's Chikuzen-Maebaru Station. The restaurant opened in December 2017 and is run by Chef Ragurag, who honed his cooking skills in India, and staff members from Nepal. Their main dish is authentic Indian curry, with 3 types of sauces (onion, onion + tomato, milk/cream + broken cashew nuts) combined with 15 spices to offer a total of 19 varieties. Popular choices include Dal Curry, Vegetable Curry, Butter Chicken Curry, and Seafood Curry. Each dish can be customized for spiciness on a scale of 1 to 5, and during lunchtime, you can enjoy unlimited servings of naan and rice, which is a great deal. The tandoor-cooked naan is available in 7 varieties, with the Cheese Naan being a favorite made from homemade paneer. The menu also includes a variety of side dishes such as Biryani, Fried Rice, Momos (Nepalese dumplings), and Samosas, all made with locally sourced vegetables from Itoshima. As a fan of Dal Curry from my travels to India and Nepal in my college days, I found the Dal Curry Set at this restaurant to be a favorite, and have been a repeat customer, enjoying the Fried Garlic & Ginger-topped Dal Curry each time. The restaurant's signature dish is the Indian curry, but this time I tried the Biryani, which is my current favorite. Biryani is an Indian Halal rice dish made with spiced meat and half-cooked rice. I ordered the Chicken Biryani for 1,000 yen, which uses Basmati rice for an authentic taste. The dish is well-reheated and has a crispy texture, with generous chunks of chicken and a flavorful mix of spices, including a refreshing touch of cloves. The dish also includes onions and boiled eggs as a nice complement. The Chicken Tikka topping adds a good balance of spiciness and spices, making it a satisfying meal. Overall, the Biryani was flavorful and filling, a unique find in Fukuoka's growing Indian and Nepalese cuisine scene. I will definitely be returning for more. Thank you for the delicious meal. Ito MOMO Nepal Cafe is located at 2-3-2 Maehara Chuo, Itoshima City, Fukuoka. Phone: 092-322-3903. Business hours are from 11:00 to 15:30 and 17:00 to 22:00, with a closing night on Monday.

I visited the Inneppa store in front of Chikuzenmaehara Station (a restaurant serving Indian curry run by Nepalese people). One good thing about Inneppa store is that they provide Indian curry tailored for Japanese people. It has an Indian curry-like flavor but it's not exactly Indian curry, it's more suited to Japanese taste. The variety of curry dishes offered at this store is also a plus. Beginners at Inneppa store tend to order "Naan and Saag curry". It's definitely delicious, but some people want to try something different from Japanese curry, so they end up ordering Naan instead of rice and green Saag curry instead of brown Masala curry. (By the way, it's interesting to see beginners eventually start worshiping Biryani). Personally, I think the best dish at Inneppa store is the Masala (brown) curry with rice, so that's what I ordered. I was a bit disappointed by the slightly small portion of curry and the overly generous portion of rice, but the taste was excellent.

The curry and naan are delicious! It feels like authentic curry. The staff also seems to be from Nepal and they are fluent in Japanese with great service. The portion size is large so be careful when ordering. Takeout is also available. I ate in the restaurant and more than half of the customers were from overseas!

I went to see the 5th Itoshima Bamboo Story held at Maruta Ike Park. I took photos, ate takoyaki from the food stalls, and my son urged me to eat somewhere before heading home. However, there were not many places open for dinner on a late Sunday evening in Maehara, so I was unsure of where to go. Then, across the street from the event venue, I noticed that the Nepalese cafe Ito MOMO was still open. They were even selling take-out curry for event attendees. Although I used to pass by this cafe often, I had never gone in before because it seemed a bit intimidating. When I entered, there were about 10 Nepalese customers dining, making the place lively and exotic. My husband and son ordered a set meal with naan, salad, soft drinks, and a choice of two curry dishes. My son opted for cheese naan. I decided to try "Momo" for the first time. Surprisingly, a salad was served to me as well, even though I had only ordered Momo. I wasn't sure if it was part of the set, a mistake, a gesture of kindness, or if I had been charged for it. The Momo came with curry-flavored sauce, which was cold and caught me off guard when I tasted it (laughs). Momo is similar to Japanese gyoza or shumai. The curry-flavored sauce was tasty, but I think it would be even better with ponzu and yuzu pepper. It was my first time trying cheese naan, and the gooey cheese was delicious. I also tried Nepalese beer for the first time, and it was surprisingly good. I would like to visit for lunch next time.

I asked a beautician and visited a beauty salon after my appointment. The bright and clean interior was welcoming, and I felt comfortable entering alone as a woman. It was past lunchtime, so there were no other customers. The owner, who is fluent in Japanese and from a curry country, greeted me warmly. I ordered the lunch set called "Itoshima Set" which included chicken curry and spinach keema with a spiciness level of 4 (Very hot) and chose naan over rice. I also ordered a mango lassi. First, a salad was served, mainly consisting of cabbage and cucumber slices overflowing from the bowl, giving it a rustic feel. The dressing had a unique flavor with spices, likely homemade. As I finished the salad, a large naan and curry arrived. The sweet naan paired well with the Very hot curry, which was quite delicious. I preferred the spinach keema. I added a bit of rice as there was some curry left. I cooled down with the sweet and refreshing mango lassi, but I was quite full and satisfied. Throughout my meal, a group of 5-6 students, possibly from India or Nepal, came and went, chatting with the owner. I felt a bit out of place, but the free naan and rice refills made it a great value. Overall, it's a decent and tasty Indian curry restaurant.

The curry is the thick and creamy type, and all-you-can-eat nan bread is a delightful bonus.

I ordered the popular Special Set (\1,300) this time, which includes 2 choices of curry, naan, mini rice, salad, tandoori chicken, seekh kebab, and a drink. Naan is refillable (plain only). The available curry choices are: 1. Chicken Curry (\780) 2. Vegetable Curry (\780) - chosen by my daughter (normal spiciness) 3. Dal (Lentil) Curry (\750) 4. Pork Curry (\900) 5. Keema Curry (\850) 6. Spinach Chicken Curry (\850) 7. Spinach Keema Curry (\900) - chosen by me (very hot spiciness) 8. Seafood Curry (\890) 9. Mutton Curry (\880) 10. Butter Chicken Curry (\950). You can choose the level of spiciness from mild, normal, medium, hot, to very hot. With the refillable naan, the Special Set was enough to fill both of us up. We couldn't help but laugh at the rice bowl. My daughter said, "The bowl with rice in it is cute!" When I lifted it up, I realized it was actually a tea cup! (I didn't notice until my daughter pointed it out, as it fit seamlessly in the thali plate.) The Special Set (\1,300) was good value for money, and we plan to order it again when it's just the two of us. Thank you for the delicious meal!

Today, my daughter and I visited the restaurant together. We ordered the following: - Popular with women! Itoshima Set / ¥950 - 2-choice curry (same as last time, "Dal" and "Spinach Keema") - Naan or rice (chose Naan) - Salad - Soft drink (chose orange juice) - Momos (Nepalese steamed dumplings) / ¥600 (¥550 for takeout) The "Momos" were not on the lunch menu, but we saw it on the takeout menu, so we asked if we could order it for dine-in. They said it was okay. The Momos were a bit disappointing as they seemed rushed and the skin was too dry and tough. The filling was okay, but lacked juiciness. It took over 20 minutes for them to arrive, which was after we finished the Itoshima Set. Maybe the "Soup Momos" would have been a better choice? Hopefully, they can improve the Momos in the future.

I ordered the popular Itoshima Set, which includes 2 choices of curry, naan or rice, salad, and a soft drink. I chose the Dal (Bean) Curry and the Spinach Chicken Curry, both at the highest spice level. The taste of the dishes was average, but I like the atmosphere of the restaurant and the staff, so I visit often. I will post again when I try new curries here. Thank you for the meal!

I haven't posted every time I visit, but it's a shop I use occasionally. This time, I ordered... ◆ One type of curry lunch set ・ One type of curry (choose from 10 types) ・ Naan or rice ・ Salad ・ Soft drink <Types of curry> 1. Chicken curry (\780) 2. Vegetable curry (\780) ← The curry I chose 3. Dal (bean) curry (\750) 4. Pork curry (\900) 5. Keema curry (\850) 6. Spinach chicken curry (\850) 7. Spinach keema curry (\900) 8. Seafood curry (\890) 9. Mutton curry (\880) 10. Butter chicken curry (\950) You can choose the spiciness level from 5 levels: [Mild ・ Normal ・ Medium ・ Hot ・ Very Hot]. I chose "Very Hot" (by the way, there is no additional charge). The base of the vegetable curry seems to be quite sweet. It feels like they forcefully made a sweet curry spicy, but even with "Very Hot," I didn't feel it was that spicy. Well, making it excessively spicy doesn't necessarily make it delicious, so this is okay. The vegetables included cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, green peas, etc. During lunchtime, you can have unlimited naan or rice, which is a nice service for those who want to eat a lot. I have only tried "Dal" and "Vegetable" curries for lunch, so next time I think I'll try a different curry. Well then, thank you for the meal ☆

【2018.03.18】"733" I took a leisurely stroll through Maebashi. For lunch, I was indecisive and ended up visiting this place. It serves Nepalese curry. From the lunch special set, I chose: 1. Itoshima Set ¥950: 2 choices of curry - I chose Pork Curry and Butter Chicken Curry; you can have either naan or rice with free refills. I upgraded to Cheese Garlic Naan for an additional ¥350. Surprisingly, they also served rice. The set includes salad and Mango Lassi. 2. Hot Chai ¥350 - quite delicious! I would like to come back for dinner next time.

Today, I didn't have time to eat at the restaurant so I decided to buy an "A Bento Box" which comes with curry and naan. The curry in the A Bento Box can be chosen from the following options: Chicken Curry (can be changed to spinach base), Keema Curry, Vegetable Curry, Dal Curry, and the Curry of the Day. The price for all options with naan is 600 yen. I decided to go with the "Chicken & Mushroom" curry of the day. When I got home, I enjoyed the meal. The naan was a bit soft and wrinkled due to takeout, but it was still good. The naan had a sweet taste so it could be eaten on its own. The curry, on the other hand, was mild and not too spicy. Overall, I think this restaurant is recommended for families with children or for those who like to eat curry with naan but prefer milder flavors.

Today in Itoshima, where strong winds were blowing so much that it felt like the arrival of the first spring storm. Spring may already be on its way (^-^) (Although at this time of year in Fukuoka, the air is polluted with pollen, yellow sand, and PM2.5, so it's hard to be too happy about it...). Feeling a bit sluggish, I decided to order the Dal (lentil) curry set (750 yen) with a "very hot" level of spiciness. I also requested the naan without butter. Lunchtime allows for free refills of naan and rice, but for me, one piece of naan was enough. I wonder if there are people who eat three or four pieces on their own? One piece already felt quite satisfying to me. I prefer naan without sweetness, but the naan here has a slightly sweet taste in the dough, which may appeal to children or those who enjoy sweet naan. As for the Dal curry, even though I ordered it "very hot," I personally felt it could have been spicier. (Spice tolerance varies from person to person, so this may not be helpful.) Dining in, the 750 yen Dal curry set is the most affordable option, but for takeout, a 600 yen curry set (without salad and drink) is available. I'll try that next time. Thank you for the meal☆

Occasionally, let's check out the latest reviews...【February 11, 2018 (Sunday)】Visited around 18:50 with my family of 3. (There is no parking at the restaurant, so please use the coin parking in the back) This time, we ordered the Couple Set (serves 2 people, 3,599 yen) which can be ordered by non-couples as well. <Contents of Couple Set> - 2 Choice Curry *1 - Choice of Naan or Rice *2 - Tandoori Chicken 2 pieces - Tandoori Shrimp 2 pieces - Samosa 2 pieces... The meal was satisfying! - Draft Beer or Soft Drink *3 - Dessert... It was like a milk pudding. *1 *2 Choice Curry *Choose 2 from the "Authentic Curry Menu (individually priced at 750-1,000 yen) - total of 19 varieties". We chose "Chicken Jalfrezi (spicy)" and "Keema Egg Curry (mild)". You can choose the spiciness level from "mild", "medium", "spicy", and "extra spicy". "Chicken Jalfrezi" is a rich curry with bite-sized boneless chicken thigh pieces, and "Jalfrezi" in Bengali means "spicy dish". I ordered it extra spicy, so it was naturally hot, but I could handle more heat. However, after eating this, the Keema Egg (mild) tasted too sweet. *2 Choice of Naan or Rice *Choose between "Sesame Naan" and "Plain Naan". Only the Plain Naan is refillable, so if you want other types like Honey Naan, Sesame Naan, Garlic Naan, or Coconut Naan, order them first. (I think changing the Naan to Cheese Naan costs an additional 200 yen) *3 Draft Beer or Soft Drink *Choose between "Draft Beer" and "Mango Lassi". Draft Beer comes with complimentary Papadum. (It was cold today, so it was still okay, but I prefer my beer colder. The Mango Lassi had a bit too little mango sauce, which was a bit disappointing. They could add a bit more sauce in my opinion. I would like to try their lunch menu next time. Thank you for the meal☆

On this day, I happened to watch Mezamashi TV, which I rarely watch, and they were doing a countdown of horoscopes. Virgo was ranked last. Moon Princess Hiiko!! (laughs) I secretly regained my composure and diligently worked hard at my job to avoid being laughed at by my family, especially my daughter. I spent the morning wandering around JR Chikuzen-Maebara Station. Then it was time for lunch. I decided to visit a restaurant that I had been wanting to go to but hadn't been able to, as I usually only go there at night and had never tried their lunch menu. Unfortunately, the first restaurant I went to had already finished serving lunch at 2 pm. The second restaurant was closed for the day. The third restaurant also finished serving lunch at 2 pm. The fourth restaurant had stopped serving lunch altogether. (laughs) So, I ended up visiting the fifth restaurant, "Ito MOMO." It was a Nepalese restaurant located north of Chikuzen-Maebara Station, just across from Marutaike Park. It had opened at the end of last year, and my wife had already been there and said, "It was very delicious!" The restaurant had a cozy cafe-like atmosphere. As soon as I entered, a Nepalese man welcomed me. There was another Nepalese man in the kitchen. There were two other groups of customers - a group of mom friends and Nepalese women. I sat at a table and looked at the menu. The lunch menu offered several curry sets ranging from 750 yen to 1300 yen. I decided to go for the "Special Set" (1300 yen). It included two curry choices, naan, rice, salad, tandoori chicken, seekh kebab, and a soft drink. I chose the "Spinach Chicken" and "Seafood" curries. The curries were served on a silver tray. The naan was served in a basket. It all looked very delicious! First, I tried the salad. It had a carrot dressing, which was quite tasty. The naan was quite large and thick. It was a bit heavy to lift. I started with the "Spinach Chicken Curry." It was quite spicy, even though I had asked for it to be "hot." It made me sweat from the top of my head. But it was very delicious! Next, I tried the "Seafood Curry." It was mild and a bit sweet compared to the spicy chicken curry. It had a variety of seafood in it. The contrast between the two curries in terms of appearance and taste was quite interesting. The rice was served in a small bowl, which I appreciated as I like to eat a little rice. Furthermore, during lunchtime, you could have unlimited naan and rice! The seekh kebab and tandoori chicken were also delicious. They had a good amount of filling and were quite satisfying. I also had a lassi, which was delicious. By the time I finished the naan, the curries were almost gone. I didn't get any refills of naan or rice, but I was already full! As I was about to pay, the Nepalese man brought me a dessert. It was a coconut milk pudding or something similar, which was refreshing and tasty. I wondered if it was a special treat since I was the only customer left. After enjoying the meal, I realized that the staff were very friendly and tried their best to communicate in Japanese. I highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely come back to try their momos (Nepalese dumplings) in the evening.

I wanted to eat biryani... I thought there was no restaurant near the station in Itoshima where I could eat biryani, but there was one! After a cafe that used to offer superfoods closed down, a Nepalese restaurant serving momo opened, and to my surprise, they had biryani! I couldn't decide, but I ended up ordering the A set which included momo. I chose the momo in soup, and it was delicious! The soup was like minestrone, and the chicken inside the momo was flavorful and tasty. The small vegetable biryani and lassi were also delicious. I was surprised by the pickles! There was a pickled potato that I had never tried before, and it was delicious! I also enjoyed the crunchy carrots. I remembered a Nepalese restaurant called Everest that used to be in front of Saga Bank, and they had their menu there too. I only went to Everest once, but their cheese naan was delicious, so I also got some for takeout on my way back. I didn't take a picture, but I also got a mutton biryani for takeout. The mutton in the biryani was surprisingly tender and flavorful. It was so good that I could eat it with just rice as a side dish. I'm happy that I can have biryani and cheese naan anytime except on Tuesdays! It's really delicious, so I will definitely go back again!

After finishing my activities in Fukuoka City and returning to Itoshima City in Fukuoka Prefecture, it was already past 9:30 PM. As I was contemplating what to eat on my way home, I stumbled upon the "Maehara Summer Festival" taking place that night in Itoshima City, with food stalls set up. I thought about buying some takoyaki, but then I noticed a Nepalese curry restaurant called "Ito MOMO Nepal Cafe" located just a 3-minute walk from JR Kyushu Chikuhi Line's Chikuzen-Maehara Station, which seemed to be selling something outside their store. Curious, I went in and purchased something that looked delicious. I quickly made my way home and decided to reveal what I had bought - a cheese naan for 100 yen and chicken curry for 200 yen. The cheese naan was small in size, with melted cheese oozing out, so I bought another one. The freshly baked cheese naan was delicious on its own, but when I dipped it generously into the spicy chicken curry, the combination was perfect. The authentic and slightly spicy chicken curry paired with the cheese naan was incredibly tasty, and I devoured it in no time. Although I had some curry left over, I enjoyed the flavorful chicken mixed with the spicy curry, and of course, finished every last bite.