Samseong Indian restaurant, Set A & chicken tikka: India The Durbar

What is India The Durbar?

India The Durbar Samseong Station Branch (인디아더르바르 삼성역점) is an Indian restaurant near Samseong Station where you can get vegetables, tandoori and curry all in one spread. "Durbar" apparently means royal court in an Indian language.

Lately I agonize over what to eat every single meal... haha. So I made myself a meal routine: Korean (suyuk set meal) - Japanese (tonkatsu) - Western (pasta, risotto) - Korean (soups like gukbap or pork bone hangover soup) - Mexican (burritos, tacos). Basically a round-the-world rotation (?) hahaha. Why not add Indian food to your own routine too?! How about vegetables + tandoori + curry in one spread~?

How to get to India The Durbar Samseong Station Branch

It's a 5-minute walk from Samseong Station Exit 4. You can spot this curry restaurant from far away haha.

I've made curry part of my lunch routine, so I go to curry restaurants a lot, and the entrance really looked standardized (?).

Can't you already smell the butter curry~??

The look of Indian chicken always grabs me too haha.

Past the Indian-style decor, you head down to the basement.

Curries from Set A: butter chicken makhani and chicken masala

We each ordered Set A! That's the 1-person set menu at ₩18,000 × 2 people.

For curries we picked butter chicken makhani and chicken masala! Definitely order the butter chicken makhani! It's lightly seasoned already, the flavor is deep, and compared with the other dishes it was untouchable! The chicken masala isn't at makhani level, but it's very mild, so even someone who can't handle Shin Ramyun can eat it easily haha.

Looking at the menu, ordering curries à la carte instead of a set would be good too.

Is it crowded on weekend evenings?

We went early on a weekend evening and it was empty, though even on the weekend a fair number of people came in.

Butter naan or garlic naan: which is better?

Set A comes as a generous spread, so my girlfriend and I could eat our fill with no fighting over food (?)😆 We ordered butter and garlic naan, and the richer butter naan is tastier, I have to admit.. haha. The garlic naan has little roasted garlic pieces baked in, and the aroma soaked in a bit.

Side dishes and jalapeños

I thought that red stuff was Korean kimchi + curry, but it turned out to be onion (?). I guess it's an Indian-style side dish. And the jalapeños eaten with naan cut the richness too.

Indian yogurt drink: lassi

What you see in the back is lassi. Indian-style yogurt! Similar to Korean yogurt but a little different.. and it's sweet haha.

How is chicken tikka different from tandoori chicken?

Chicken tikka is apparently tandoori chicken cut into boneless pieces that are easy to eat. It was less dry than tandoori, and I liked that it was boneless haha.

Butter naan + butter chicken makhani + rice: can't resist that combo.

I wonder how they source decor like this in Korea..haha.

India The Durbar Samseong Station Branch: parking and hours

• Address: B1, 15 Samseong-ro 84-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Getting there: within a 5-minute walk of Samseong Station Exit 4
• Parking: no dedicated lot; you need to use nearby public parking
• Hours: daily 10:00–23:30 (last order 22:30)
• Recommended for: couples' dates, get-togethers of 3–4 people

Tip for after your meal

After eating at India The Durbar, it's nice to walk it off at Seolleung and Jeongneung, the UNESCO World Heritage royal tombs in Seoul, to prevent a blood sugar spike. I highly recommend adding curry to your meal routine👍👍