One of my favorite parts of gardening is eating things in season. Peas are plentiful for a while, but then you move on to beans, then tomatoes, and so forth. As soon as you start getting tired of one fruit or vegetable, there is always something different coming in.
Even eating rice day after day wears on me. Every time we go to a gathering with food, people say bring something to share and bring onigiri (rice balls). Every time. My husband also likes to eat a wide range of foods, but he could include rice as part of his meals three times a day. I think it is from eating all those rice balls as a kid.
I've always known that rice is just part of the culture in Asia, but it still bewilders me that people happily eat it three times a day! At home, I try to mix it up with pasta, potatoes, and other carbs as part of our dinners. I really miss having my arsenal of ancient grains like farro, amaranth, and quinoa.
Beyond the grains, sometimes I just want something other than Japanese food. Okay, it may have reached a point of more than sometimes. I am a bit tired of Japanese staples. But so often, if we go out for other cuisines, it is very disappointing. I tried an Indian place recently that was so horrible it has become a family joke.
I used to always associate Japan with having amazing Indian food because near my home in Osaka there was a fantastic Sri Lankan place. It was a little escape for me when I needed a break from Japanese fare. I was such a regular customer that when I moved away, the restaurant staff gave me a gift of a Sri Lankan devil. It has hung near my door in every home I've lived in since, to scare away evil from entering.
Since moving to Tokyo, I haven't found an exceptional Indian (or Sri Lankan) restaurant. It has been extremely disappointing since I really was looking forward to it. While we were in Azabujuban there were a lot more international options, but nothing worth the hour trip for dinner. Finally my husband found a place worthy of the trip. Unfortunately that trip is an hour and a half (next to the Metro Museum in Edogawa)!
We went to Spice Café Hunza to enjoy some Indian Pakistan cuisine. It's a very simply decorated restaurant that isn't too inviting or comfortable, but what it lacks in décor it makes up for it in the quality of the food. Their specialty is their butter chicken that they use double the cream that is traditionally used in butter chicken. They had saag, which is one of my family's favorites.
We opted for lunch sets so we could try several items. I picked a curry combo with butter chicken and saag chicken (they didn't have paneer or lamb as part of their lunch menu) with tandoori chicken (that wasn't red) and naan. There was also a small pile of rice, which I gave to my husband.
My husband had biryani (the rice dish), dahl (lentil curry), and raita (yogurt condiment).
Our son, of course, had the kid's set with salad, butter chicken, and a mini naan.
Was it the best Indian food I've ever had? No. But was it pretty darn good? Yes. Would I travel an hour and a half to eat there again? Yes. I most likely would. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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