VEGE HERB SAGA (Okachimachi)(Ueno)

March 26, 2024 Ueno

Vegetarian Indian Dish Vegetarian Menu

I went to “VEGE HERB SAGA”, an Indian restaurant in Okachimachi that I had been curious about for a while!

By the way, I went there thinking it was vegan, but it was vegetarian.
Because they had dishes with butter and cheese.
But there were no dishes using meat or fish.

So, I would like to introduce an Indian restaurant recommended for vegetarians who are fine with butter and cheese.

Access

The nearest station to VEGE HERB SAGA is JR Okachimachi Station.

When you get out of the South Exit of JR Okachimachi Station, go to the right along the railroad line.

After about 50m walk, you’ll get to an intersection that turn left there.

After about 50 meters walk, you will see VEGE HERB SAGA on your left.

Google Map of VEGE HERB SAGA

 

To VEGE HERB SAGA

I was planning to go the restaurant from Ueno station while strolling around Ameya Yokocho but I had less time than I thought to meet my friend, so I went directly to the nearest station, JR Okachimachi Station.

From Okachimachi Station, I headed toward in the direction of Akihabara along the railroad tracks, turned left, walked a little over 50 meters and I could see VEGE HERB SAGA on the left.

In fact, I got a little lost from the station and had to make a detour to get there, but I think it would take less than 5 minutes if I could get there without getting lost.

The restaurant was located in the basement down the stairs.

Inside of the Restaurant

The restaurant looks spacious and cozy.
There are 32 seats in total.

I arrived just around 12:00 p.m. and there was almost no one there except for my friend.

“This is an office area and there are fewer people here on weekends than on weekdays”
Waiter said.

Actually, the area around this restaurant, a short distance from Okachimachi Station, was mostly buildings.

But people gradually started to arrive when we started to eat and the restaurant became almost full.

By the way, the Indian staff can speak Japanese.

“May I take a picture for my blog?”
I asked.

“Yes, please”
He said.

“Please take our picture, too”
He asked me that I took a picture of the cooks.

They had a nice smile and I thought I could take a good picture.

Check Menu

I was surprised when I checked the menu.

There are so many kinds of dishes.

There are more than a dozen kinds of curry alone.
Plus, soup, naan, chapatti, and other Indian dishes.
There would be dozens of varieties in total.

It was hard to make up my mind so I decided to settle for the lunch set as it would be easy to choose!

“The lunch set is only available on weekdays”
The staff said.

Back to square one.
We finally decided to order two types of curry, a vegetable curry and a bean dhal curry and share them.

Plus, I was thinking about ordering naan, and then I discover chapata and paratha.

I knew chapata because I used to eat it when I went to India before but what is paratha?

Curious, I ordered the paratha!
My friend ordered plain naan and spinach naan.

Here I notice that the restaurant is vegetarian, not vegan, as there are several dishes on the menu that use cheese, butter, and other dairy ingredients.

I change into Flexitarian when I’m with other people so it’s OK for me.

Order Vegetarian Curry and Nann and Parotta

What we ordered in the end were a vegetable curry and a dahl curry made from beans.

And we decided to share plain naan, spinach naan, and paratha.

The vegetable curry and dahl curry came in about 10 minutes.

When I tried it, the taste was authentic!

I sometimes order dishes from Indian restaurants myself, but the taste is different from that.

It is not a taste that is adapted to the Japanese, but an authentic taste with real spices!

The vegetable curry has lots of vegetables in it and a bit spicy!

But my friend said it was not that spicy.
Actually, I’m sensitive to the spiciness, that’s why.

Dahl curry is more like a soup than a vegetable curry.

I enjoyed the richness of the beans and the spices.
I could enjoy this curry without feeling much spiciness like the vegetable curry.

“What part of India is this curry from?”
I ask.

“It is a North Indian curry”
He told.

I thought they specialized in South Indian cuisine, but they also serve North Indian cuisine.

We also shared a naan, which was delicious and soft!

In particular, spinach naan was delicious with a slight spinach aroma and flavor!

But umy top recommendation is this parotta.

This is the first time I’ve had it, and it has a crispy yet a bit chewy texture similar to a crepe.

It was very tasty with a slightly sweet and gentle flavor.

By the way, the paratha seems to contain dairy products, so if you are a vegan, I recommend you naan or chapatti.

“Would you like some more nann?”
During the meal, the staff asked us.

Is it a free service?

Either way, we were all almost full, so we told him thank you and declined this time.

Instead, we all ordered chai.

Chai is the best way to end an Indian meal, and it warmed my body!

I actually wanted to try Indian desserts on the menu as well but I was already full, so I save them for another time!

 

Summary

At VEGE HERB SAG, I could enjoyed authentic vegetarian curry with spices.

It is close to the taste of authentic Indian curry, not like Indian curry fit to Japanese peoples’ taste.

I also had paratha for the first time and it was tasty.

When I have a chance to come back, I would like to try other Indian dishes such as dosa and biryani!

I would recommend this restaurant to vegetarians who are fine with dairy products!