Swagat

this is now my favorite indian spot in the akasaka area. i was going to the taj for a while (赤坂二丁目交番), but they raised their prices and watered down their curry, so i took them out of my lineup. swagat has consistently great and full-​flavored curries, they’ll make any lunch set vegetarian, and the people are super friendly.

Got to come here for biryani lunch on Friday.

As I am a Roppongi lunch regular, I’m constantly on the lookout for a new restaurant to mix it up.
My lunch companion and I were in the mood for Indian so we decided to try Swagat for a change to our usual Kamiyacho/​Roppongi spots. I had heard good reviews of this place and their online menu was making my mouth water so I eagerly walked over.
The restaurant is on the second floor of a so-​so building on the street behind Roppongi hills (further down from Cinnabon towards Tokyo Tower). Definitely not a «good» spot, but nicer than most Indian restaurants I’ve been to in the area.
First impressions: Small but not overly cramped. Even at a late 1PM lunch hour the place was packed … mostly with Indian (Must be a good sign!) The staff was friendly and the smell was heavenly.
Lunch selection: They have a good choice of lunch options. I think the cheapest is 950yen and includes one curry (from a daily selection of 4) rice, naan/​paratha, and a drink. The 1150yen option includes two curries. Alternatively they have a weekly lunch menu that is pretty diverse depending on the day of the week — South Indian, North Indian, Meat, Biryani etc.
Food: I like my food Spicy. Both spicy HOT and spicy SPICE-​y. When I have Indian food, I’m in the mood for FLAVOR and a party in my mouth. Judging the clientele and smells, I thought I was in for a treat but unfortunately I felt the flavor was a bit lacking — restaurants in Japan tend to make flavors more mild for the Japanese palates. Perhaps the regulars have their inside ways…
Overall: I like the service and the variety for lunch. It probably won’t be one of my regular spots, but it’ll be ranked high on my «Indian» spots for sure. I’ll just have to ask for it extra spicy next time!
Tip: They have Halal food