Tucked away on the second floor of a building in the back streets of Shibuya is this restaurant dedicated to serving pork vindaloo. This curry from Goa in western India is inspired by a Portuguese dish first introduced to the subcontinent in the 1500s. It’s made with a mixture of spices including red chillies, cumin, cloves and pepper, plus vinegar, which gives it a distinct sour and spicy taste that differentiates it from any other curry. And this restaurant’s vindaloo is so good, the curry earned the venue a Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
Pork Vindaloo Taberu Fukudaitoryo only offers one thing on the menu. Just sit down and the chef will whip you up a plate of delicious curry – no tricky decisions required. It comes with a bed of rice and chopped salad, topped with a pork vindaloo roux, and a hard boiled egg on the side for ¥1,000. Hungry? A larger portion of curry costs an additional ¥200, but if you only want extra rice or salad, you can get those for free.
There are nine different condiments on the side to dress up your dish, including pickled veggies, fish sauce vinegar, daikon lemongrass paste and yoghurt sauce, giving every bite a different experience. This restaurant is eat-in only, but if you’re keen to re-create the magic at home, you can always purchase packages of the vindaloo roux (¥650), which also comes in pork motsu (intestines), lamb and veggie flavours.