Indian vegan dinner at KUMAR

Today is my birthday, and I thought of going out for dinner. Last year, I had a vegetarian set menu that included yogurt at KUMAR, the Indian restaurant in Act City. But this year, I wanted to have a completely vegan dinner. In an Italian restaurant, it is not so difficult to choose vegan options. But I had pizza and pasta last weekend, so I went to KUMAR this year again.

KUMAR has many vegetable curry options. I asked one of the staff members and learned that there were several vegan options. Among them, I got interested in Dal Yellow. According to the explanation in the menu, it is eaten by Indian people daily like miso soup in Japan.

As bread I chose Tondoori Roti. According to the explanation, it is made of whole wheat flour from India. Since it was not big, I ordered also Vegetable Samosa, my favorite snack stuffed with spicy potatoes.

First, the samosa were served with sweet sauce. The outside was like a pie. They were freshly fried and crunchy. In addition to mashed potatoes flavored with spices, I found nuts in them. They were very good though it was difficult for me to eat them with a knife and a fork.

After that, the roti was served. As I have eaten naan bread in Indian restaurants in most cases, this might have been my first time to try roti.

Then, Dal Yellow came. Unlike other kinds of curry I had have before, it really was soup.

   

I found the roti spicy. Though it was made of whole wheat flour, I was more interested in the spice than the flour. I asked the staff member about it, and he explained that it contained spice good to the stomach. The soup also contained various spices, and he brought me a picture of them. While eating, I looked at them and wondered what they were. The inside of my mouth felt tingly.

The dinner was quite satisfactory. It was interesting to have bread and curry that were more commonly eaten in India. I think I’ll try other kinds of vegan curry at some other time. At Indian restaurants, I can feel a deep-rooted tradition of vegetarianism and ease. Indian people use plant-based ingredients naturally as they are, not as substitute for meat. They don’t use fake meat, but their dishes are substantial and have a rich flavor with spices. It may be the main reason why I like Indian restaurants.

KUMAR
Address: Act Plaza B1, 111-2 Itaya-machi, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka
Tel: 053-451-0154
Open hours: Mon.-Fri.     Lunch: 11:00-15:00 (LO 14:30)
                                      Dinner: 17:00-23:00 (LO 22:00)
                    Sat., Sun., national holidays
                                       11:00-23:00 (LO 22:00)
Access: 5-minute walk from JR Hamamatsu Station