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Mysterious SOUP CURRY of Shanti

The sign outside of Shanti said "SOUP CURRY." Which was it -- soup or curry? A set of both? Led by my stomach and sense of curiosity, I entered the shop without looking at the menu outside.

By Lynda Deaver Apr 4, 2014 3 min read 7

Both Indian curry and Japanese curry are loved by Japanese and non-Japanese alike. This means that Tokyo is filled to the brim with Indian and Japanese curry shops. You can find the occassional Thai curry restaurant, but I’ve never come across a restaurant quite like Shanti. I’d had enough of the flashing lights of the east side of Ikebukuro and thought that maybe the west gate would offer some respite. Luckily for me and my empty stomach, in addition to some quiet, the west side of Ikebukuro had food.

The sign outside of Shanti said “SOUP CURRY.” Which was it — soup or curry? A set of both? Led by my stomach and sense of curiosity, I entered the shop without looking at the menu outside.

A drink menu in English was placed in front of me, and the curry menu, in Japanese, was posted next to the table. The curry menu featured colorful photos of the various curries, ranging in price from 890 yen to 1490 yen. Still, the small photos didn’t clear up the mysterious “SOUP CURRY” sign. I chose an egg and vegetable curry, one of the simpler dishes, at a “normal” spiciness.

When my food came, the mystery was solved: soup curry is, well, curry-flavored soup.

The wait for the soup to cool provided a few extra moments to study the menu on the wall. The menu described four types of “curry eating techniques.” Apparently the “regular” way to eat soup curry is to pour some of the curry on the rice and then eat the rice. I decided to go with the “elegant” way: scoop some rice on the spoon, soak the rice in the soup and eat.

When I elegantly began to eat my curry, I found that “normal” level 2 spiciness was much spicier than I had expected. A surprise, but a welcome one, given the chilly temperatures outside. If you’re the type of person who would pay for the pleasure of second-degree burns to the tongue, you can get the level 40 curry for an extra 400 yen. The menu even warns that this level of spiciness is without a doubt bad for you.

shanti_curry

Satisfied with my flavorful dish, I did wonder if it would be filling enough. Both the soup and rice servings looked small, but near the end of the meal, I was almost ready to give up. The soup included one and a half eggs, a full carrot, and several other halved vegetables. A more heartier dish, such as the curry soup with a full hambuger patty in it, would’ve been impossible to finish.

On my way out, I took a business card and saw that there were five Shanti restaurants in all, three of which are in Tokyo. With the successful expansion from Hokkaido to Tokyo, more Shanti restaurants will undoubtedly be on the way soon. That’s definitely a good thing.

Information:

Address: #2 Yajima Building, 1st floor, 5-1-6 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-0021
Nearest station: 2 minutes walk from Tokyo Metro Ikebukuro Station, exits C2 and C3
Telephone: 03-3981-9991
Hours: 11:30 to 24:00 (last order 24:00), only closed during New Year holidays
Shanti Ikebukuro

Topics: Food and Drink / Tokyo