Songdo Indian curry restaurant lunch set at 12,000 won: Manokamana

I was hanging out at Songdo Central Park when I heard there was an Indian curry restaurant here run by an actual Indian chef, so I decided to check it out~!

What Manokamana Songdo Branch looks like from outside

This place is called Manokamana! Apparently it means "a wish in the heart" in Hindi! It's a chain that's been expanding a lot lately, and today we visited the Songdo location~! For an Indian curry restaurant, the scale was surprisingly huge!

How much do the lunch sets cost at Manokamana?

From 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM you can order the lunch sets~! Set A gives you green salad + curry of the day + naan + rice + dessert for 12,000 won (available for 1 person or 2+), and Set B adds chicken tikka to that for 16,000 won (also available for 1 person or 2+)! Pretty reasonable prices, right?

Weekday lunch crowd and waiting time in Songdo

Even though it was a weekday lunch, there were SO many people! Turns out there was an expo happening nearby and it seemed like everyone came here afterward. There were office workers eating solo and groups dining together too! If we'd come a bit later we probably would've had to wait..!

The interior was really exotic and distinctive~! It felt like a high-end Indian restaurant but at such affordable prices, which was awesome~! The tableware was some kind of metal — lead(?) or iron(?) — and maybe because of that, the water had a slightly metallic taste, which honestly made me feel like I was really in India, haha?

The three side dishes that came out right away were kimchi, jalapeños, and pickles~ I thought these kinds of pickled sides weren't traditionally served at Indian curry restaurants, so maybe this is a Korea-friendly twist! Haha, the kimchi had an unusually sweet taste~

Does ordering by QR code skip the lunch discount?

We tried to order the Lunch A Set~! Here's the important part: if you order through the phone QR code, there's no lunch discount menu, so make sure to ask staff for the lunch menu directly~! (Even if they tell you to order via QR, ask for the lunch menu anyway!) We had ordered the same set through QR and the discount didn't apply, but when we explained the situation, the owner kindly gave it to us at the lunch price!

How do the chicken tikka, chicken masala and naan taste?

After the salad — which had an exotic yet somehow familiar tangy dressing — the chicken tikka arrived~! It's chicken marinated in Indian spices and grilled hot~! One bite in, a smoky flavor burst out and the chicken meat was so tender, it was really delicious~! The seasoning wasn't too strong or sweet, so I really enjoyed it. There was a sweetish sauce served alongside, and dipping it in there made the seasoning perfect!

Next came the curry, naan, and rice~! We picked the chicken masala! It was slightly spicy with chicken inside, and it paired well with the naan and rice~ Again, there was barely any sweetness (I wondered if this is what authentic local flavor tastes like). Here, the naan is really something — chewy, soft, and perfectly seasoned, so it kept going down easy!! The curry paired best with the naan too~! Next time I'd probably skip the set menu and just order a variety of curries and naan~! (They have garlic, butter, and other flavors)

Is Manokamana Songdo worth it? Final verdict

If you want to experience authentic local Indian curry flavor near Songdo Central Park Station, if you want to bring an important guest to eat somewhere with a great atmosphere, or if you're looking for a lunch discount menu, Manokamana Songdo Branch would be a great choice!

[Business hours] Daily 10:30 AM–10:30 PM