Namaskar ナマスカ 022-222-7701

Website:  http://r.tabelog.com/miyagi/A0401/A040101/4000025/

Address:   宮城県仙台市青葉区一番町2-2-11 ＴＫビル　Ｂ１Ｆ.

There are actually two locations.  The other one is on the 4^th floor of the BIVI Building behind Sendai Station.  This review is for the Minami-machi dori location.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Lunch: 11:30 – 2:30 Dinner: 5:30 – 9:30

I feel real bad about this one because I have fond memories of good food and good times with good friends here, and the staff has always (and still remains) nothing short of welcoming.  But I have to admit that I was greatly disappointed on my last visit to Namaskar, which only confirmed my feelings from the last couple of times I’ve visited within the last year or two.

Let me start out with the good:  Saturday lunch tabehoudai for 1500円!  For that price, you really can’t go wrong.  This includes your choice of the following:

green salad (lots of the cheap iceberg lettuce, dressing is good),

kelp salad (I don’t eat seafood),

vegetable pakoda (kind of bland),

saffron rice (bland),

choice of curries:  chicken (tasty but definitely not spicy), vegetable (pretty good, except for the beans), mutton (don’t know), and seafood (again, I don’t eat seafood),

tandoori chicken (dry, tasted more like spiced chicken rather than spicy chicken),

naan (big sized but nothing special),

choice of beverages: orange juice (good!), oolong tea, jasmine tea, coffee (good!), and chai.

dessert was banana palwat (kind of like a thick banana gelatin with a hint of cinnamon that was tasty.

So let me reiterate that for the price there is plenty to choose from so I think this is a positive.

However, I’m comparing the Namaskar of now to the Namaskar of old.  Way back when in the olden days (about three or four years ago) Namaskar had spectacular Indian food!  I’m no connoisseur of Indian delicacies but I know what I like, and at that time I loved Namaskar.  

I remember in the olden days the chicken curry and tandoori chicken being so spicy that I’d be sweating up a storm after only a few minutes of savoring these succulent spices.  The naan was so flavorful that its flavors rested on its own laurels and didn’t need dipping into a curry to be enjoyed. 

But the restaurant was sold to new owners some time ago and things have changed.  After eating the tandoori chicken or curries my body temperature didn’t change at all.  The naan wasn’t bad but could no longer stand on its own.

Since the restaurant was crowded with seemingly satisfied customers, it could just be me and my pickiness that are wrong in these evaluations, but for my own taste I stand by them.  If you are in the mood for something different I do suggest you try this restaurant and I truly hope you enjoy your meal here.  Like I said, I do like this place, I’m just disappointed in their food.

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