During the long, uncertain months of the pandemic, curry has cemented its place as Tokyo’s primary go-to comfort food. But it’s not just home-grown versions of curry-rice or soup curry that are in demand: There’s a growing number of chefs offering spice-driven meals that draw their inspiration directly from the original wellspring of South Asia.
Look no further than Adi, a brilliant little Nepalese restaurant that opened last year in Nakameguro. Owner-chef Kanchan Adhikari originally came to Tokyo to study business and, after graduating, decided to open a place serving the kind of home cooking he grew up eating.
His first venture was a lunch counter, Adhicurry, which he ran with his wife inside a rented bar space in Azabujuban. The quality of his cooking quickly won him fans, and generated a buzz that followed him when he finally moved into his own premises in August 2020.