Curry to Die for By the Beautiful Pacific!

Here is Japan we are spoiled by really good restaurants and wonderful service. My Twitter friends often post pictures from little out of the way “Izakaya” and generally it’s of what we have come to call “comfort food”. The kind of food that “sticks to your ribs” and leaves you with that warm comfortable feeling.

Being so spoiled it is seldom that I do more than publish a few pictures on my photo blog http://gourmetjapan.tumblr.com/. Note and disclaimer that this is also where I often post pictures of family cookouts under the influence of uncontrolled substances. However, today I do have a place to rave about.

Kamal, http://sale.riseresort.com/index.html , was brought to my attention by 4 students mentioning it in class over a 2 week period. Then a student volunteered to take us to this beachfront “curry shop” located between Chikura and Awa Shirahama at the tip of the Chiba peninsula. We all know the mantra about starting a restaurant; “Location,location,location!” They have completely ignored this and placed it at lands end. I half expected to see “The Black Pearl” anchored on the horizon. It is worth the trip!

I know there are many wonderful Indian restaurants in Tokyo and I hit them when I can. Shops in Yurakucho and Ginza come to mind. But I must throw down the gauntlet and challenge any of them to make better “Nan”(Indian flat bread) than I had Sunday night; absolutely the best in recent memory!

At lunchtime(1100-1500) they offer it as an “all you can eat” side dish with their curry sets. I don’t think most people could hold more than one. Sumo wrestlers not being “most people”.

The dinner menu is served from 3PM, meaning lunch specials are over and the prices change. If I were to drive here from Tokyo, I’d want to have lunch, see some sights and return later in the evening for dinner. They stop serving at 9:00. Speaking of sights, Kamal is so close to the Pacific that global warming will put them out of business if success doesn’t prompt them to relocate first. I defy you to not walk across the road and gaze at the Pacific!

Finally, I must allay any doubts you have about the Nepali beer they serve at Kamal. It’s quite good actually and I would say better than 80% of what passes for beer in North America. That, of course, is just my opinion.

Their website is noted above and is only in Japanese, but prices and pictures should inspire you. The website is much slicker than the restaurant, so don’t expect anything fancy from this 5 table shop; beach sandals and jeans no problem.