denji-papa
My range of activities is extremely limited, and since my workplace moved from Otemachi to Nishi-Shimbashi, I have lost touch with Tokyo Station. I decided to visit the Yaesu underground mall, where I used to walk every day, before heading to Sendai on a business trip. Since I was already in Yaesu, I thought of going to the curry shop recommended by my mentor. This shop is located on the second street of the Yaesu underground mall, the farthest area from Tokyo Station. It used to be quite empty and relaxing, but when I visited after about 5 years, I found that it was quite crowded. Except for a few shops, most of them had long queues. Even Yoshinoya had a line. It seems that like in the Shinbashi/Toranomon area, the Yaesu area also has fewer lunch options. Among them, this shop and the next door negishi had the longest lines. Surprisingly, there were many female customers waiting in line. Since this is a super famous Indian spice curry shop, it may be because women tend to like that type of curry more. Men seem to prefer European-style curry. As I got closer to the front of the line, they handed me the menu. You have to order before entering the store, a system to reduce waiting time inside. I ordered the South Indian veggie and bean-based lunch meal with today's special chicken. The interior of the shop had counter and table seating. I sat at the counter as a solo customer. Since there were many female customers, there were baskets for storing bags under the counter. There were instructions on how to eat the meal on the table. It said not to mix it. I remember a place (the old Yam residence?) where the instructions were to mix it. It seemed quite different. After a while, the meal arrived. It included four types of curry in katoris and yogurt. It came with basmati rice, turmeric rice, and topped with a babbad. I haven't had many authentic curries before. I saw the woman next to me breaking the babbad, so I did the same. The instructions said to take the katori out, but the woman next to me didn't do that, so I followed her lead. I remembered a story from rakugo where a woman poured yogurt over her head, so I joked about doing the same if she did. The curry with veggies and beans had a strong acidity and wasn't too spicy, but it was delicious. Being a fan of spicy food, I chose the special chicken with three chili peppers, which was delicious. They mentioned that you could get extra rice, so I got more basmati rice. The woman next to me didn't get extra rice, but the man on the other side got more turmeric rice. The woman poured yogurt over the remaining curry, so I did the same. Curry with yogurt is a great combination. It was delicious. In the end, I finished eating in about 40 minutes, including waiting in line for 20 minutes, receiving the meal after sitting down for 5 minutes, and leaving the restaurant after finishing in 15 minutes. Despite the long line, the shop can cater to the lunch break of salarymen. The curry in this sacred place somehow tasted different. Thank you for the meal. I heard there is a shop at Toranomon Hills, but I'm not interested, so I probably won't go (laughs).