Burning tastebuds are a wonderful thing!

Masala Art – written in Gothic script calligraphy, admittedly is an interesting choice of style to use on a sign for an Indian restaurant. I suppose I shouldn't find is so unusual given the colonial history of India and the fact that many British Imperial remnants persist to this day in a country of one point one billion. What really did surprise me however, was the recent recognition and fame this restaurant has received in the past months.

Scarcely a week goes by when people, both Japanese and Western don't bring up “that new Indian place on Heiwa Dori near the McDonalds and south of Route 20.” A lot of that, I'm sure has to do with the Yomiuri Newspaper (Japanese edition's) May 17th, 2008 Leisure section review, and a television crew filming a segment there a while back as well. Both, copies of the newspaper article, neatly framed, and photographs of the filming session are proudly displayed inside the sparsely decorated interior.

Once again, fame aside, I wanted to present as impartial a review as I could, given that it truly seems as though I'm the last person in Yamanashi to visit this restaurant... Everyone else has already been there at least once, commenting on everything from the inexpensive lunchtime all-you-can-eat buffet (￥880 on weekdays, ￥980 on weekends) to the extreme spiciness of the curry dishes. In fact, friends of ours went recently and in recounting the experience of their visit, pointed out that they asked for just a little bit of extra spice but ended up with something they could barely eat.

Undeterred by such comments, I was committed to set my mouth on fire. ( If you haven't already realized, there is an ongoing poll at the bottom of this web page where you can vote for your preferred level of spiciness. I encourage all my readers to give it a go). I made this visit with two other people once again, my wife Bonnie and another friend. It's really invaluable, for the sake of restaurant reviews to have three or four people who each order different dishes, allowing for a much wider cross-section to make their way into my reviews. We made our sojourn to Masala Art on a Tuesday evening, thus avoiding the crowds as well as the lunch buffet. Something I've realized about many of the local buffet restaurants – their lunch buffet and dinner menus tend to be as different as day and night and judging the merit of a restaurant on its buffet would be most unfair as it does nothing to reflect the true flavour and quality of their dishes.

Getting a table was no problem. There were plenty of green and white vinyl tableclothed tables to had. We requested the “non-smoking section” if there were one, and got directed to the far corner of the dining room. There was a low wall separating two halves of the restaurant, presumably for this very purpose, but as I'm so fond of pointing out – having a non-smoking section in a restaurant is akin to having a non-peeing section of a swimming pool... Nevertheless, I didn't see any ashtrays on any of the tables in either section. I was glad for the incandescent lighting, even though it was turned up far brighter than it need have been for the evening crowd. They would benefit from more subtle lighting, though a a reviewer it really helps me when I can see exactly what it is that I'm eating and I get an accurate idea of the colours, textures, presentation and other nuances that I might otherwise miss if the room were dimly lit. I can understand the need for vinyl tablecloths given the fact that many of the spices used in curry-making tend to stain rather severely, making cloth an impractical choice. For that reason too, dimming the lights would really work in their favour.

From the time we were seated to the time the waitress arrived with water, menus and napkins I felt we waited an uncomfortably long time – and despite our overall positive experience and enjoyable evening, this was a minor aberration. The menus are actually very attractively put together with nice, professionally photographed pictures of dishes and explanations that appear both in English and Japanese. I won't get into the details in this review, as one has only to hop over to the restaurant's website: http://www.masala-art.jp and click on “menu” to see for themselves the selection and prices.

Saving me the trouble of expounding on the various menu selections, I'll get straight into what we ordered. I ca lled the waitress over when we were ready and ordered: the Indian Spice Salad (￥500), Vegetable Pakora (￥530), Sag Chicken (￥1050) with a spice levell of “medium” out of a 3-level scale, Aloo Began (￥900), which is a curry made with potatoes and eggplant, also at the medium level of spiciness, Butter Chicken Curry (￥1,200) at a mild spiciness level, Naan (￥330), Kashmiri Naan (￥530), which is naan stuffed with coconut, raisins and dried fruits, Kirin draft (￥550) and Lassi (￥400).

When the waitress arrived, I did ask her what the house special was in the way of curry.

“Do you like your curry spicy?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” I replied.

“I mean, do you REALLY like your curry spicy?” she asked again.

“Sure do,” I said with confidence.

“Then I recommend the Chicken Hyidrabadi, (￥1,200)” she said, pointing at a line in the menu. “This one isn't available in mild or medium – it's hot only,” she explained further.

At this point I was a little leery so I opted for the Sag Chicken in the end, but vowed to myself that if I were happy with my meal this time around, I would definitely come back to give the Chicken Hyidrabadi a whirl.

When the Indian Spice Salad arrived, it looked dangerous. All red, looking much like Korean kimchi, you could almost feel the spicy heat emanating from the dish. I was not disappointed. After the first few mouthfuls I realized that this was, in fact not Indian at all, but rather, something concocted damned kitchens of the 9th level of Hell, with Satan's own atomic breath infused in with the spices; the restaurant chefs obviously having made a contract of souls with the Dark Lord himself. In other words, it was wonderful! Certainly not a dish for the feint-hearted, but yet very flavourful.

The following dish, Vegetable Pakora, was essentially assorted vegetables, breaded and deep fried in a cardamom curry-flavoured batter, much like Japanese tempura, but served with ketchup as the dipping sauce. It was the right contrast to the preceding salad, though while not hot, was just as spicy.



The main course curries followed soon after, and just like the preceding appetizers, plenty of Indian spices were recognizable and appropriately blended into a mouth-pleasing, thick stew, which, when used as a dip for the naan, was divine.

A special note of the Kashmiri Naan should be made, however. Even though I would not normally order it as an accompaniment to a spinach-based chicken curry, was very interesting in its sweetness, coconut flavour and bright orange colour. Almost a desert in its own right, made for an interesting diversion from the otherwise usual offerings seen in an Indian restaurant.

Having ordered “medium” spiciness for my Sag Chicken however, I was very surprised that it had nowhere near the same heat as the first salad we ate. In fact, when I got a free moment I called the waitress over and asked her if it weren't too much trouble, to see if they could make it spicier for me. She was more than happy to oblige, and whisking my dish away back to the kitchen, she disappeared, only to reappear moments later with a question from the chef, “Exactly HOW much hotter should we make it?” To which I told them that on their “mild, medium, hot” scale of spiciness, they could definitely go ahead and make it “hot.” When I got my dish back, it had indeed been turned up a couple of notches, but was still nowhere near the level of the salad. That was fine too though, because the heat of the curry was a different kind of heat – it was a slow burn that built up over time and had a delayed action. It was clear to me that they didn't just dump a fistful of hot peppers and mix it up, as this would kill a lot of the flavour. No, this increased level of spiciness also increased the potency of the other flavours as well. The Butter Chicken naan, despite it's fairly high price, is very nice. I would recommend this dish to anyone who might be a little apprehensive about ordering something spicy or hot. It's a very relaxing, laid back dish – sweet and mellow, and of course, with naan, is a great meal.

At the end of it all, I was very happy, very full and eager to try some of the other menu selections the next time we decide to go Indian... Ultimately, the bill came in at ￥6,310 for three people, which included two drinks (Lassi and a beer). Certainly average in the grand scheme of things and compared with other local restaurants. Somehow, I don't think my review will make its way onto Masala Art's walls, but if it did, I'd probably be there to read it!

Summary:

The Good: Very tasty food. Want to burn a tastebud or two? This is your place! Authentic, Indian dishes, friendly staff, English menus.

The Bad: Bright lights, vinyl tablecloths give the impression of a cheap diner. Not the best place to take a date if you are looking for a romantic atmosphere. Come here to get your spice on.

Menu: Available online, but a large selection of curries, appetizers, salads, tandoori chicken, deserts, limited bar selection, including draft beer.

Price Range: Barring the all-you-can-eat buffet, roughly ￥1,000 for a bowl of curry, not including naan or other side dishes. High end of average in my books.

Smoking: Presumably so. The restaurant is subdivided into two sections but no one was smoking when we were there and I saw no ashtrays on any of the tables.

Recommended?: Definitely. Especially if you want to burn something inside your mouth.

Details:

Masala Art
Tel. 055-241-3311
Address: Kofu City, Nakakogawara 575-1
Website: http://www.masala-art.jp
E-mail: gpmirai@yahoo.co.jp
Hours: Lunch: 11:30am – 3:00 pm ; dinner: 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Languages spoken: Japanese, some English (bilingual menus)
Parking: yes

Adventures with Lunumiris -- A Sri Lankan Spice

When I found out that I would be going to a Sri Lankan restaurant with a Sri Lankan friend, I got all excited. What better way to experience some of the local favourites and find out what “real” Sri Lankan food is supposed to taste like. Unlike Korean food, having visited Korea and having many Korean friends, I have a benchmark as to what makes a decent Korean dish. With Sri Lankan cuisine, I was glad to have Samila along, since he had been to this restaurant a few times before and was eager for us to try it.

“Samila, does this place have authentic Sri Lankan food?” I asked him before we left my house. “ Does it taste like the food back home?”

“Yes, of course!” he replied. Quickly adding, “But it's been changed a little for Japanese tastes. We cannot make it as spicy as we like it in Sri Lanka.”

“Are the owners Sri Lankan?” I asked. “Do you think you could ask them to spice things up for us a little bit more?”

“Of course!” Samila replied enthusiastically. And so we set off by car to Chuo City, which is really just south of Kofu, maybe about a 20 minute drive by car from the city centre.

Pulling into the parking lot, I saw inside the restaurant through the front window. “Holy cow!” I thought. “How fancy IS this place?” I had sticker shock without even seeing the menu. It looked very fancy indeed! The interior is all done up in dark woods, with wood paneling on the walls, shiny hardwood floors, and very modern, chestnut colored tables contrasting starkly with equally modern, elegant, white chairs. Certainly not something I was expecting, especially considering the signs out front, and even the business card that was given to me a week prior, don't come anywhere close to matching the interior elegance I saw when we first arrived at the restaurant. Rather than expound on this any further, I will allow my readers to see for themselves what I'm talking about. I've included a picture of both, business card and restaurant. I have restricted myself to only one picture, having forgotten my good camera and with only my cellphone I would spare everyone the pain of having to look at anything more than one mediocre photo emanating from my cellphone's pinhole-sized lens.



In terms of authenticity, it was a welcoming sight to see a number of Sri Lankan people sitting, enjoying their meals, some of whom, upon seeing Samila walk in greeted him warmly in Sri Lankan and he wasted no time in chatting up the waiter who he said was a friend. What Samila described later as Sri Lankan music played quietly in the background.

We were given menus, and Samila earned his keep with a few good recommendations. In the end I opted for the Deviled Mutton (￥1,300) , Chicken Biriyani (￥1,000) and Vegetable Roti (￥450). In addition, since my wife was the designated driver last time, I got the job on this trip, so instead of beer I opted for a Lassi (yogurt drink - ￥350). Samila's selection closely matched my own, although instead of the Chicken Biriyani he chose the Special Mixed Fried Rice with Vegetables (￥1,400) – a dish not dissimilar to my Chicken Biriyani but with a side note that it was appropriate for 1.5 – 2 people.

It was a tough decision, the menu being otherwise full of Indian style curries, like Chicken Curry (￥800), Mutton Curry, Prawn Curry, (both ￥1,000) side orders of rice or roti, (￥180) and a virtual cornucopia of both Western and Asian dishes – from Sirloin Steak (￥1,700) to Sweet and Sour Chicken and Chop Suey Rice (￥800, ￥900, respectively). A full complement of soups, salads (￥500 range) and deserts (￥250) completed the selection. One interesting note about the menu, however; each one had random items crossed out in it, obviously indicating unavailable items... This alone is not so serious but I thought it rather strange that no two menus had the same items crossed out... I found myself cross-referencing menus and wondering which dishes were, in fact available and which ones weren't.

Regardless, when we placed our order, Samila chatted with the waiter in Sri Lankan for a minute or so, and they seemed to be having quite the dialog before the waiter finally left us and retreated into the kitchen.

“I told him that we wanted things more spicy – like we have in Sri Lanka, not like for Japanese people” he explained. I was glad he remembered to do so. I looked forward to the experience.

As we waited for our meal to arrive, the waiter made a brief stop at our table, and following a short conversation with Samila, explained that the Vegetable Roti wasn't available, and whether we wouldn't mind trying a different variety – fish or beef. I opted for the beef. After a somewhat lengthy wait, (30 minutes or so) our dishes arrived piecemeal, starting with the mutton. It was pleasantly sweet, slices of meat, onions and green peppers with a hint of ginger. The rice dishes followed, with the Beef Roti arriving last. The presentation was impressive with everything served in elegant, white china. It definitely matched the overall décor and restaurant atmosphere.

I had just started on the Chicken Biriyani when the waiter returned with a large, shallow bowl full of a dark red paste-like substance. As soon as Samila saw it, he just about went into convulsions and started madly chattering away at the waiter who brought the concoction.

“When I told them that we wanted our food spicy like in Sri Lanka they thought I meant this..” Samila exploded between fits of incredulous, nervous laughter. “It's a very hot Sri Lankan spice you put on your food.”

“What do you call it?” I asked.

“It's called, 'lunumiris'” he replied. “But it's very hot. Maybe too much.”

“That's great!” I smiled. “Exactly what we're looking for. I want to try some!” I picked up the teaspoon from the bowl, heaping full of lunumiris... “How's this?”

Samila, just about choking, burst out: “No! No! That's waaaay too much! Just a little bit! Really. It's very spicy.”

I emptied half a teaspoon of paste back into the bowl and the other half onto a portion of Biriyani rice. Even as the fork approached my mouth, Samila sat, spellbound by my resolve to subject myself to what he assumed would be excruciating pain.

Prepared for the worst, I bravely ate the lunumiris-covered rice, savoring the flavour of the paste, trying to pick out individual flavours.

“So...?” Samila asked after a few moments of anticipation.

“I... like it!” I answered back picking up the spoon from the bowl and proceeding to liberally spread lunumiris all over the Chicken Biriyani.

“Oh my God!” Samila exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you sure you're not Sri Lankan?” he asked me rhetorically.

Having grown up with a father who just loved any kind of hot or spicy food, I've become largely accustomed to the “burn” of such foods. I've learned to enjoy the experience for the most part, choosing to interpret the sensation on my palette as a “pleasant, warm glow” as opposed to an insane, raging inferno. Rarely a meal went by growing up when the ever-present bottle of cayenne pepper wasn't spread over my father's meals. From what I understand, scientists figure that it's even quite healthy.

Far be it for me to question the wisdom of scientists touting the health benefits of capsicin, I thoroughly enjoyed my “enhanced” Chicken Biriyani. Without the heat, it would have been just another rice dish. The beef roti did fall into that latter category – although not at all unpleasant, wasn't anything particularly special and I could have done well enough without it. My original choice was between that and a dish of “Wade,” a Sri Lankan appetizer that came highly recommended by our friend. I opted for the roti.

Our meal was followed by a complementary desert of custard that tasted as good as the rest of our meal. Interestingly enough, we never ventured into the realm of curries – something I'll be sure to try next time.

Typical to many of the South Asian restaurants in this area, lunch buffets are the standard, and this restaurant is no exception. They offer a daily buffet from 11:00 to 14:30 for ￥780, which is, to say the least, about 100 yen less than most of the other Indian restaurants in the greater Kofu area.

I'm glad I was introduced to this gem of a restaurant. If I weren't already married, I would have no qualms at all about bringing a date here – the atmosphere is certainly very pleasant. Paying separately for our respective meals, the entire bill for my wife and I, including a beer for her, two Lassi drinks, a meat dish, rice dish and appetizer all came in at a modest ￥3850. With draft beer costing only ￥480, soft drinks ￥250 and many menu choices nowhere near breaking the 1,000 yen barrier, Midland makes for an inexpensive yet classy evening.

Summary:

The Good: Very classy-looking restaurant, modern décor; tasty food, reasonable prices. Ample menu selections, many styles of food: Indian, Sri Lankan, Chinese and Western. Kids' menus are available too, as well as set menus and group menus. English-speaking staff; Sri Lankan items for sale near the entrance: spices, Basmati rice, lentils, lunumiris, green (Indian) pickle, to name a few.

The bad: The wait: 30 minutes is not an unreasonable time to wait for a meal, but admittedly, was a little bit long for me. The time lapse between dishes arriving at our table could also have used some improvement.. It may have been due to the fact that only one cook was in the kitchen and we ordered a number of dishes, and there were several other patrons in the restaurant as well. In the end the quality of the food was worth the wait but if a half-hour is common, I would recommend some sort of appetizer or snack to nibble on with drinks while waiting, if possible. Otherwise, it would be good to have menus that agreed with each other as to what was available and what was not.

Menu: Sri Lankan, Indian dishes, curries, Western, Sri Lankan-style Chinese, soups, salads, deserts, full bar and alcoholic drink menu, Kirin draft beer.

Price Range: Main courses: ￥800-1700, soups, salads ￥500 range, deserts ￥250, soft drinks ￥250, draft beer ￥480, lunch buffet ￥780, group/set menu ￥2,000-5,000.

Smoking: Yes. One smoker sitting at another table. It didn't bother us but it was noticeable. There is no specific non-smoking section.

Recommended?: Yes

Details:
Midland Indo Lanka Restaurant
Tel. 055-273-0222
Hours: Daily: 11:00-1500; 16:30-22:00; (lunch buffet 11:00 - 14:00); last order 21:30. Closed on national holidays.
Location: Chuo City, Wakamiya 2-8 Angel House Narase Bldg.
Languages spoken: Sri Lankan, Japanese, English
Parking: yes