Arriving in Mishima just before lunchtime one day, I decided to use my tried and trusted method for finding somewhere to eat: that is, to just wander round until I see a place that catches my eye. As it happens, I didn't have to go too far; not five minutes from the station I found Jeet, a small Indian-run curry house, where I got a good filling lunch that properly set me up for an afternoon's sightseeing.
The interior is pretty cosy, with just three tables and five counter seats, and decorated with colorful prints and posters. There were no less than four staff on duty, who gave me a mass welcome as I was the first to arrive, but the restaurant soon filled up with a chatty mix of customers fresh from the shops and offices. One of the friendly English-speaking staff told me they all came from India (the staff, not the customers), which I took as a good sign that I'd be getting nice authentic food.
There were three lunch sets on offer, and I went with the middle one, which for ¥1050 gave me two curries with nan, salad, dessert and a drink. (The smaller ¥850 set has one curry, the larger one for ¥1250 an extra serving of tandoori chicken.) The lunch drinks were all teas and coffees, but the waiter was helpfully flexible, and allowed me to negotiate for a mango lassi; and of that day's selection of curries, I chose the chicken do piaza, a mild dish with plenty of onion, and the aloo chana, a vegetarian curry based on chickpeas.
There are three spice levels, mild, hot, and very hot, and I went with hot, which was a good choice; both curries were tasty, with tender chicken in the do piaza and nice firm chickpeas in the aloo chana, but not burningly hot. It seems that with lunch you can have as much nan as you like, and the staff offered me another as I neared the end of my first; sensing my hesitation, he said they could just give me a small one, exactly what I needed to see off my remaining curry. This was typical - the staff were friendly and helpful, but not intrusively so, just as I like.
The menu has everything in English, and offers a range of curries for between ¥1050 and ¥1450, including saag (spinach) and do piaza sauces with chicken, mutton, pork, seafood or vegetables. Nans from ¥300-¥450 include garlic, sesame and masala or, for ¥550, the house specialty is a chocolate chip nan (which I'll allow someone else to try). Salads, side dishes and tandoori snacks range from ¥500 to ¥1400 and include samosas, paprika squid and Malay chicken, while a beer, whisky, cocktail or lassi will cost between ¥300 and ¥600. Takeout lunchboxes are just ¥500, and seem pretty popular judging by the steady stream of people popping in and out to pick one up.
