Moonbow

Delicious curry. No menu and only one option. Owner was very courteous. Restaurants like this just simply don’t exist in the US, so it was a real treat

A famous curry restaurant that represents Shinjuku, where daytime curry is nighttime rock.
If there was a store like this in my neighborhood, I would definitely go there. A 100-famous store that operates double crops day and night. Moreover, the curry is available from 11:30 on weekdays until sold out. Moreover, from Monday to Thursday, there is a limit of 18 meals per day. I guess it's quite a hurdle.
I went alone.

Monday, December 11, 2023 12:33
*Chicken curry
Chai

chicken curry
When you arrive at the counter seat you were directed to, the pickles will be served to you first. This cucumber pickle is quite delicious. It also goes great with curry.

The chicken curry has turmeric rice in the center and a generous amount of crunchy curry. A big chicken is rolling around on the rice.
The rice is very generous and weighs a whopping 370g. It exceeds 1 go (330g). Apparently you can order less rice.
The rice is a little hard and tastes just right when eaten with the crunchy curry. It seems that they use ``Koshiibuki'' from Niigata Prefecture, which has less stickiness and grains. Some people say that this curry is influenced by South India because it is so rich, but in reality it is fundamentally different from South India.
In South Indian cooking, tempering, which transfers the aroma of spices to the oil, is the key to the flavor. However, MOONBOW's curry is made by boiling chili peppers and spices to make soup without using oil.
It's more of a soup curry than a South Indian one.
This is an incredibly healthy curry, as all the fat from both the chicken and minced meat is discarded. It's spicy and has a good flavor, so no matter how much you eat, it won't make your stomach feel heavy. This is the secret to how a hungry man can easily eat 370g of rice.

By the time you finish your curry, Mr. Urashima will make you a cup of chai. This is also a full-fledged air serve. It pours from a very high position. The reason for pouring from a high place is to lower the temperature to a comfortable drinking temperature and to prevent the film from forming. It's not about performance.
The reason their chai is so authentic is because they learned the recipe from ``Cante Grande Nakatsu Honten'' in Osaka. Speaking of Cante Grande, it is a shop that started serving chai because it was particular about tea, and from there it also started offering Indian dishes. By the way, it seems that all the members of Ulfurus worked part-time at Cante Grande. Mr. Urashima is also an active guitarist, so he may have learned about cante grande through music connections.
I thoroughly enjoyed the curry and chai.

MOONBOW is a curry and music bar restaurant that opened in 2000. The owner is Hideki Urashima.
One wall of the store is decorated with works by rock photographer Hideki Ikui, and the kitchen is lined with Urashima's collection, including CDs, DVDs, and video tapes. I probably own or have watched them all. I guess it's mostly British rock from the late 60's to the early 80's.

The nostalgic interior is reminiscent of a small bar in Cuba, and is a compact space with only counter seating. There is only one type of curry on the menu, so if you sit at a table and wait, you can get your curry.
By the way, they are only open for lunch on weekdays, with a routine of 18 meals a day of ``Chicken Curry'' on Mondays and Tuesdays, 18 meals of ``Eggplant and Minced Meat Curry'' on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 24 meals a day of ``Spinach and Minced Meat Curry'' on Fridays.
This curry recipe is based on one that Mr. Urashima learned from his guitar instructor, but the eggplant curry is Mr. Urashima's original.
Even when the bar is open at night, if there is any leftover curry, they will serve it, so they try to use as little oil as possible so that those who have drunk will not feel heavy when eating.
The restaurant closes as soon as the curry runs out, so it's a very difficult restaurant. However, if you like curry, this restaurant is a must-try. It was the most delicious curry.
I'm definitely going to try the other two types as well.
This is a famous store that represents Shinjuku.
Highly recommended.

postscript
By the way, after that day, I walked to Kinmochi and ate 20 spicy vegetable curries.
Next time, if I eat less rice at MOONBOW, I'd like to make a plan to walk to Kinmochi and eat 20 spiciness with one free topping and the same less rice.

The nearest station is Minami-Shinjuku. Within walking distance from Yoyogi.
Lunch at a restaurant that has been selected as one of the 100 famous restaurants.

Wednesday and Thursday at this time of year is ``Autumn eggplant and minced meat curry''.
With warm chai.

Lots of diced autumn eggplant and coarsely ground meat.
The smooth roux is spicy enough to make you sweat.

The standard dish comes with a generous amount of turmeric rice (women may want to order less) and pickles as an accompaniment. It's simple, but very satisfying...

I was satisfied with the curry made by the humble owner, who was full of personality.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chai after the meal and said thank you for the meal.