Travel to Southeast Asia through food. Ethnic gourmet spots in Tokyo where you can enjoy local flavors

[Ebisu] Kumbira, the pioneer of Nepalese cuisine in Japan

The first place we visited was "Kumbila," which was founded in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture in 1978, opened a second store in Hiroo, Tokyo, and moved to its current location in Ebisu in 1994. This famous restaurant is known as the pioneer of Nepali restaurants in Japan, and even the exterior has an exotic atmosphere.

The six-story building with one basement floor is also a distinctive feature, and the space is designed to evoke the image of climbing to the summit. Nepal is a country that overlooks the Himalayas, including the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, and this space expresses that worldview.

The dining areas on each floor are designed to resemble local villages, with the fifth floor being the base camp just before the summit. The adjacent terrace is equipped with barbecue facilities, and is a tatami-mat seating area where you can sit in a circle and enjoy the food.

The top floor, designed to resemble a mountaintop, is a private room available by reservation only. There is a round table in the center, and on the wall is an altar dedicated to the god Kumbira, for which the restaurant is named, as well as paintings with mandala motifs. "Kumbila" is one of the mountains that make up the Himalayan range, and the Japanese Konpira shrine is said to be an incarnation of the god Kumbira.

The other floors are also decorated with local furnishings and reliefs, giving the place a truly extraordinary feel. You'll feel as if you're traveling.

What makes the experience even more exciting is the variety of delicious food. Although food culture varies from region to region due to the large difference in elevation above sea level in Nepal, many people are vegetarian due to religious reasons, and chicken is the main meat used.

Also, like neighboring countries, they use a lot of spices, but the spiciness is mild. For example, in India, butter oil called "ghee" is the main cooking oil, but in Nepal, vegetable oil is used, so similar curry is relatively light. A typical home-cooked meal is "dal (beans) bhat (rice)," and it is also characterized by the fact that rice is the staple food rather than bread.

Furthermore, the restaurant's motto is to serve food that is good for your body, and they offer healthy dishes using additive-free ingredients and homemade seasonings.

A typical dish is the Nepalese style "Momoko" dumplings. The chewy homemade dough is filled with minced pork and chicken stir-fried with spices, and they are juicy and delicious even without any condiments. If you like, you can add a curry-flavored sauce made from tomatoes, yogurt and spices.

Among the many other Nepalese dishes on offer, the restaurant's signature dish is the "Himalayan Hotpot." This is an original hotpot that is a unique adaptation of the traditional local whole chicken stew. The whole chicken is stewed for about two days with natural turmeric and fragrant, rich Himalayan rock salt, then served with seasonal vegetables at the table.

On this day, there was a wide variety of pea sprouts, cabbage, pumpkin, spinach, chives, tomatoes, oyster mushrooms, onions, and more. The dish also contained "fin," a type of noodle made from potato starch that looks like maroni, and you could finish off the meal with a bowl of rice porridge. Another nice touch was that the staff would help you separate the bones from the whole chicken.

The base is simple, with turmeric and salt, but the herbal medicine and umami of the ingredients make it taste really rich. The enchanting aroma of several herbs and spices, including ajwain seeds, and the mellow texture of butter mixed with garlic and ginger and collagen from whole chicken make it a delicious dish that is sure to captivate many people. Enjoy with toppings of spring onions, coriander, Himalayan salt, and high mountain chili sauce to your liking.

Why not enjoy an imaginative trip to Kumbira, where you can experience the local culture not only through the food but also through the atmosphere of the restaurant?

Kumbira

[Ikebukuro] The only branch of one of Vietnam's most popular restaurants, "Pho Thin TOKYO"

The other restaurant we will introduce is a restaurant that specializes in pho, a representative Vietnamese dish. Pho is familiar to Japanese people, but it is also one of the national dishes in Vietnam.

It is said to have originated in the north, such as Hanoi, and there are many specialty restaurants scattered around, but one restaurant that is world-famous for being one of the most popular in the area is "Pho Thin." And the only restaurant allowed to open a branch of this famous restaurant is "Pho Thin TOKYO" in Japan.

The reason behind the opening of the store was the passion of the owner of "Pho Thin TOKYO". He was impressed by the taste of "Pho Thinh" when he visited Hanoi on a business trip. After returning to the store many times, he made a serious presentation to the founder, Mr. Thinh, and succeeded in negotiating.

This secret taste has been turned down from many offers to open stores not only in Vietnam but also from other countries. It was brought to Japan and opened a store in Ikebukuro in March 2019. Now you can enjoy the taste that was previously only available in Hanoi in Tokyo.

"Pho Thin TOKYO" is located on the first basement floor near Sunshine City. After purchasing a ticket from the ticket machine under the stairs, you will enter a stylish dining room. The natural wood and mint green interior is illuminated by warm lighting, creating a cozy space.

The noodle menu only has beef pho, just like in Taiwan. In Japan, pho is a light chicken-based dish called "Pho Ga," but the mainstream dish in Taiwan is the beef pho "Pho Bo." The deliciousness of this beef pho is what makes Pho Thinh unique.

The flavor is determined by the soup, which is made by simmering various ingredients such as beef and pork bones for more than eight hours. It is then topped with a sauce made from a blend of Vietnamese fish sauce "nuoc mam," salt, and sugar. It also contains beef thigh meat stir-fried with lard and garlic, and a large amount of green onions cut in different ways to create different textures. This is the bowl of "Pho Thinh" that has fans all over the world.

The toppings are piled so high that the noodles and soup are no longer visible. People who try this pho for the first time will probably be surprised by its appearance. But once you take a bite, you'll be shocked by how delicious it is, and it will change your perception of pho.

The soup is rich and powerful, yet mellow and well-rounded, and is not made solely from beef or pork bones. The beef thigh meat has an exquisite texture that is neither too soft nor too hard. The spring onions add a crisp, refreshing accent. The chewy rice noodles blend in perfectly with the soup, making it so delicious you won't be able to stop eating it.

Just like the original Pho Tin, you can enjoy different flavors by adding lime juice or the secret chili sauce on the table. You can choose to leave out the coriander, or you can add more coriander, green onions, and beef for an additional fee. You can also add a raw egg as a topping, so enjoy your favorite cup of ramen.

This is the real taste. At Pho Thin TOKYO, you will feel like you are in Hanoi the moment you take a bite.

The latest information is that "Pho Thin TOKYO" will open its second store in Japan, "Pho Thin TOKYO Shinjuku Store" on March 14th. The deliciousness that has been introduced in guidebooks around the world is of course the same as in the home country and Ikebukuro. Why not try the new store?

Pho Thin TOKYO

We have introduced two places where you can enjoy Southeast Asian cuisine, one in Nepal and one in Vietnam. Both are closer to each other than Europe and the United States, and yet are paradises full of their own unique delicacies. Once travel is possible again, these will surely be the first countries you want to visit. Until then, why not enjoy your overseas trip with your sense of taste, sight, and smell?

Text and photos: Hideaki Nakayama