Encouraged by the success in Ximenting of the cut-price five-table eatery crowded daily with college students, Green Curry has set up its first branch in the exotic high-end restaurant circle of Yunkang Street, which already has several stylish curry houses.
The interior of the new Green Curry shows a marked departure from the one in Ximenting. The sunlit two-floor space seats 50 customers, with a small gardened balcony and a VIP area, both decorated in a comfortable combination of cloud-white and sky-blue. The Mediterranean motifs, which seem a little out of place in an Indian restaurant, resulted from a miscommunication between the owners and their interior designer. However, said co-proprietress Chen Chia-yu (
Chen and the family of her Chinese-Indian husband added a domestic feel to the restaurant by hanging photos of the family on the walls. Many of these show their family growing up with a dog, a white Schnauzer, who was a major attraction at the Ximenting shop and is now a fixture at the new restaurant.
PHOTO: VICO LEE, TAIPEI TIMES
With the new branch comes a new menu. Puri is still the customers' favorite. Apart from the mutton, beef and chicken curries, there are vegetarian, vegetable, shrimp, pork and deep-fried egg flavors. The deep fried-egg curry with puri (NT$280 with rice, dal, dessert and drink) is fragrant and relatively light. The mix of vegetables -- cauliflower, mini corns, beans and potatoes and carrots -- fully absorbs the curry. The fresh egg, first boiled and then deep-fried, has a pleasing gold color. Puri comes with two kinds of sauces. The Indian mango sauce is more sweet than sour. The green sauce, Green Curry's specialty, is made of blended basil leaves while the added spices gave it a pleasant piquancy.
Shrimp curry with puri (NT$290 with rice, dal, dessert and drink) has the heaviest taste on the menu. It's also rich in vegetables. Chen recommends the homemade chili pepper sauce to go with the dish.
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