As we arrived in Sapporo, Mohan Dish was the first Indian restaurant to really satisfy our desire for proper Indian curry, fluffy naan (direct from a tandoori oven, of course), and a beer to wash it all down. As we work on our list of the best Indian restaurants in Sapporo, Mohan Dish will definitely make our list.
Mohan Dish has more than one location in the Sapporo area, and this particular location is in Kita ku, not far from Hokkaido University. To get here, take the Nambaku line north, exit at Nishi Nijyuyo station, and you’ll find the restaurant on the west side of the Kita 24 Jyo Nishi 5 block.
Our quest for good Indian food in Sapporo started with a problem we were trying to solve: The Indian restaurants in Japan (often run by Indians) would serve you a curry set, with a main dish so small that as the meal was over I felt under-nourished (and often, still hungry). It is common to order a full meal, and the curry arrives in a tiny metal cup with maybe two or three bites of meat swimming in sauce. If you’re in search of decent serving of protein, the curries where consistently disappointing… not so much in terms of their flavor, but more so in size.
I have never been to India, but I have had Indian food in various cities around the world, and this seemed to be a consistent trend across Japan in particular. We have a very well connected friend here in Sapporo (the best city in the world), and he brought us to Mohan Dish for our first visit and… finally, a satisfying experience.
As you explore the various (semi-confusing) sprawling pages of laminated menus at Mohan Dish, with some luck you will find a “set” (so many choices, actually) that includes a much more generous serving of curry, some salad, and rice or naan (or both).
This picture above is from a simple, relatively low-cost lunch set. You can see the curry isn’t overwhelming, but it’s an appropriate size for a full meal. It comes with a small salad. And the set probably offered a choice of naan, half-naan and rice, or just rice. I choose the naan, of course.
I absolutely love good naan bread. Indian culture has a variety of “bread” options, and there are a few places that make such delicious roti that I might be tempted to choose that instead, but in general; real, fluffy naan, blacked by the fire of a tandoori oven, is sensational. And Mohan Dish does naan exactly right.
In this picture above, you can another version of the same lunch set: Same chicken curry, this time in a dish that was more shallow, but still a generous portion and a great meal. In this shot, these is also a side order of tandoori chicken, which came with a second side salad. That combination ends up being very filling (tons of portein), and still all at a reasonable price.
When I have come for dinner, the lunch sets are not available, but the choices are extensive, with page after page of options. Here are some samples (but not all) of the various menus you’ll find at Mohan Dish:
On a recent evening there, I was feeling more experimental, and I ordered a set I’d never tried before. Chicken curry, as always. And it was a small serving in a very small cup. But as you can see, it was part of full meal and once again, Sapporo’s Mohan Dish in Kita ku delivered an excellent Indian experience.
In the picture above, toward the back you can see some cauliflower vegetable dish which, as it arrived in front of me, was a surprise. It was also delicious, and one of the best parts of that set.
Earlier in this post, I mentioned a lunch at Mohan Dish in Sapporo where I added a side order of tandoori chicken. In this picture above, once again, a side order of the tandoori chicken, but if you compare the two picture, the chicken is different. There are at least two different versions of the chicken from the tandoori oven, and I readily approve of both.
Mohan Dish is a good example of the best Indian restaurants in Sapporo. We can make a few other recommendations, including Taj Mahal in Sapporo Factory. And our favorite, Jahd Pul in Maruyama – which is easily the best Indian food in the city (and stands out as special experience). If you like Indian flavor, the soup curry restaurant Delhi does an Indian flavored soup curry, including a dish that comes in a Kashmiri sauce, as well as a chana option, that is unlike anything else in Sapporo.
If you are considering going to Kita-ku’s Mohan dish to try the Indian food for yourself, you might also considering checking out Famous Door for a drink after (or before). Famous Door is in the same neighborhood (you walk right past it if you are taking the subway) and offers great drinks, complete charming decore, and an “American” theme that is as cool as it is comfortable.
That part of the Kita-ku neighborhood in Sapporo is full of great restaurants. And we’ll have a review of Emmy’s (which is “funky,” but a local favorite) added to the site soon.
