Indian restaurant in Sillim, Seoul: weekday dinner Set A, extra naan

I had an errand in Sillim on a weekday evening.

By the time I finished, I was hungry. It'd be too late to eat once I got home, so I decided to have dinner first. Being alone, my options were a bit limited. While looking around for somewhere to eat, I ended up at India Darbar, a place serving Indian and Nepali food. They have a set for one, so it works for solo dining, and apparently families and couples visit a lot too. Let me introduce India Darbar, a Sillim spot where the Indian food turned out to be great.

Where is India Darbar, and how do you walk there from Sillim Station?

India Darbar is in a spot that's easy to walk to from Sillim Station. There's a big red sign outside reading

India Darbar is in a spot that's easy to walk to from Sillim Station. There's a big red sign outside reading India Darbar, so it wasn't hard to spot. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor. Right from the entrance, the bold colors typical of an Indian restaurant caught my eye and set the mood.

I actually like curry and naan quite a bit, so I was happy to find proper Indian curry near Sillim Station. Even on a weekday evening there were quite a few people, which got my expectations up before I'd even gone in.

What the India Darbar dining room is like for eating alone

Inside, the vibe was more comfortable than I expected. Every table had cutlery neatly set, along with Indian-style props and colors added throughout. Even on a weekday evening, customers kept coming in, and many tables were already eating.

It didn't feel awkward to visit alone, and it also seemed like a good spot for a dinner appointment with friends or a date in Sillim.

What comes in India Darbar's Set A for one, and what it costs

Looking over the menu, they had everything you'd expect from an Indian restaurant — curry, tandoori chicken, and even naan and lassi. What I especially liked was that they have a set for one.

A lot of restaurants require several people to order a variety of dishes, but here, even eating alone, I could enjoy curry and naan as a set. Set A for one is ₩17,500 and comes with both naan and rice, plus lassi, two pieces of chicken tikka, and a green salad. Pretty good value, I thought.

For the curry, you could choose one of palak paneer, chicken masala, or chicken makhani. A fairly solid lineup for someone who wants to try a bit of everything. Since I love naan, I ordered an extra one too.

There's a decent variety of chicken dishes too.

The lassi and side dishes included in India Darbar's set

First, the lassi that's essential to Indian food came out and I drank it. The pale, creamy lassi was smooth with a tangy-sweet taste, good to sip between bites of spice-heavy food. A bite of curry, a bite of naan, then a cool sip of lassi — it refreshed my palate perfectly, so good! Having a drink included in the set meant I didn't need to order one separately, which was convenient.

The basic side dish setup was pretty too, with dishware that had an Indian feel.

How much food is on the Set A table for one person?

When my order arrived, it was hearty enough to fill an entire large plate.

A big naan and rice came out together, with curry, salad, and chicken tikka on the side.

With a glass of lassi on top of that, it was a pretty impressive spread for a solo dinner. Being able to taste a bit of several dishes was the biggest advantage of the set for one.

Two pieces of chicken tikka in the set

The chicken tikka that came with it added to the satisfaction of the set. It had a reddish color, well-infused with spices, and the outside was grilled to a nice, appetizing finish that was easy to eat! The inside stayed moist, good to pair one piece at a time between bites of curry and naan. Since the salad came along too, I didn't feel like I was eating just one kind of food the whole time.

How the curry tasted at India Darbar

The curry was impressively smooth and rich.

The spice aroma came through properly without being overly harsh, easy to eat without any pressure.

Piling curry generously over the rice, the sauce soaked between the grains and I could enjoy a deep, savory flavor. The aroma and texture of proper Indian curry, distinctly different from Korean-style curry, was the real charm.

Why the naan was worth ordering a second time

Above all, what I liked most that day was the naan. It came out huge, big enough to fill the whole plate, and eating it fresh and warm was truly delicious. The outside had spots of golden grill marks here and there, while the inside was soft and chewy. Tearing off a piece by hand and scooping up a generous amount of curry, I couldn't stop reaching for more.

At first I thought the naan included in the set would be enough, but as I kept eating, the naan itself was just too good. In the end I ordered one more naan to go with the curry. It matters that the curry is good, but the naan being good is what really raises the satisfaction level for me — this place made me want to come back just for the naan.

Would I go back to India Darbar to eat alone near Sillim Station?

India Darbar was a great place to visit when craving Indian or Nepali curry near Sillim Station. After eating there, I could somewhat understand why it was busy even on a weekday evening. I especially liked that there's a set for one, making it easy to dine solo, and that you get to taste curry, rice, naan, chicken tikka, and lassi all at once. Above all, the naan was so good I ended up ordering more. If you want to properly enjoy fragrant curry and freshly baked naan in Sillim, this is a Sillim Station restaurant worth going back to.