Samosa add-on with Set B at India Darbar, a Sillim Indian restaurant

Hi, this is Honi!

I usually eat a lot of Korean food or meat, but every once in a while there's a day when I really crave curry loaded with spice, with warm naan dipped right into it.

I had plans in Sillim this time, so while looking up what to eat, I found India Darbar, which promised proper Indian food, and went to check it out.

I thought it was just a curry place, but once I looked at the menu, it turned out to have way more variety than I expected — everything from tandoori chicken to naan, samosas, fried rice, fried noodles, and lassi. There are also set menus that let you try several dishes at once, so even first-timers to Indian food shouldn't have too much trouble choosing.

Where is India Darbar, and where do you park?

🚇 India Darbar is about 50m from Exit 3 of Sillim Station — walk straight out of Exit 3, turn left at the crosswalk, and you'll find it. Very convenient for anyone coming by public transit.

Sillim Station itself gets a lot of foot traffic, so it's a plus that you don't have to walk far from the station when arranging to meet someone here!!

🚗 Parking info — if you're driving, you can use the nearby Diamond Building parking lot. If you park there and eat at the restaurant, the equivalent of 1 hour's parking fee gets deducted from your total bill as a parking discount.

Note that it's not a free parking ticket system — it's deducted from your food bill, so keep that in mind!

Walk just a bit from Sillim Station and you'll see the India Darbar sign on the 2nd floor. The sign on the building's exterior is quite large, so it was easy to find even on a first visit.

It's located near Sillim's restaurant alley, so there are plenty of eateries around, but if you look up, India Darbar's distinctive red sign catches your eye. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, so head up through the building entrance.

Inside India Darbar: a local Indian mood in the middle of Sillim

Walking inside, the exotic atmosphere from the exterior carried straight through to the interior. Red walls with a Nepali flag, paintings of local scenery, and colorful decorations made it feel like an authentic local restaurant, even though it's right in the middle of Sillim.

There were tables for two up to larger groups, and the spacing between tables wasn't cramped. The window seats in particular let in a lot of daylight, making for a bright, comfortable atmosphere during the day!

Overall it wasn't a flashy, over-decorated Indian restaurant but a comfortable space with a naturally local feel, which got me looking forward to the food even before it arrived.

What is on the India Darbar menu, and what did we order?

India Darbar centers on Indian and Nepali curries, but also offers a pretty wide range of tandoori dishes, naan, fried rice and noodles, and lassi. Based on the current Sillim location menu, they serve curries like butter chicken, chicken masala, chicken korma, and palak paneer, along with tandoori chicken and chicken tikka.

The signature butter chicken curry is soft and creamy, making it a relatively comfortable choice even for those unfamiliar with strongly spiced Indian food. If you want more spice flavor, there's chicken masala, and for something different with spinach and Indian cheese, there's palak paneer — plenty of options to choose from.

There are also several types of naan to pair with the curry — plain, butter, garlic, cheese — plus tandoori chicken made from spice-marinated grilled chicken, and boneless chicken tikka that's easy to eat. Add a sweet, cool lassi and you've got a proper full Indian meal!

There are also lunch sets and 1- or 2-person set menus, so if you want to try a bit of everything or are visiting for the first time and find the menu overwhelming, ordering a set is a good idea.

With such a wide menu, I ended up going with Set B, which let me try several things at once. Rather than just having one curry on its own, a set that includes naan and tandoori dishes together seemed like a good call for a first visit.

And since I was at an Indian restaurant, I couldn't pass on ordering a samosa on the side! Samosa is an Indian snack made of thin dough stuffed with potatoes, vegetables, and spices, then fried until crispy. Crispy on the outside with a fluffy potato texture inside, it has a different charm from curry.

Set B: the salad

The first thing to arrive was a salad with a tangy dressing. It was loaded with lettuce, red cabbage, carrots and other vegetables, topped generously with an orange dressing. A nice light way to whet the appetite before diving into the curry and tandoori dishes.

The crunchy vegetables paired well with the heavily spiced dishes that followed.

Side order: samosa for 6,000 won

I also ordered a samosa on the side with the set. It's an Indian snack made from triangular dough fried until crispy, and cutting it in half revealed a filling packed with potato-based vegetables and spices.

Crispy like a cracker on the outside, fluffy and hearty on the inside! The plainness of the potato was followed by a subtle wave of spice, giving it a charm clearly different from ordinary fried food.

Dipping it into the sweet-and-sour sauce that came with it paired well with the savory fried exterior, and it was bigger than expected, good for two people to split. If you want to add something different besides curry or naan, give the samosa a try too.

Set B: the lassi

Next up was the drink that's essential with Indian food: lassi! It's a yogurt-based Indian drink with a soft, tangy-sweet character. A sip in between bites of spicy food or curry left my mouth feeling refreshed.

Having a drink included in the set was great for sipping between dishes, and it also went well as a light drink before really diving into the curry and naan.

Set B: the tandoori chicken

Next came the tandoori chicken, striking with its deep red color. Tandoori chicken is a signature Indian dish made by marinating chicken in yogurt and various spices, then grilling it in a tandoor oven. It came out nicely charred with a strong burst of spice aroma.

Tasting it, the outside had a slightly smoky char and deep spice flavor, while the chicken inside stayed moist. It wasn't as spicy as I expected, so it was easy to eat without feeling overwhelmed.

It was good on its own, but adding the accompanying sauce or a squeeze of lemon gave it a fresh twist, letting me enjoy it in a different way. Pairing it with the cool lassi in between bites also went really well with the rich spice of the tandoori chicken.

Set B: butter curry with naan and rice

Finally, the butter curry and naan I'd been most looking forward to arrived. The curry came with a warmer underneath to keep it hot throughout the meal, and it was topped with a pretty swirl of cream, making it look delicious right away.

True to its name, the butter curry had a strong, rich, creamy flavor with a soft texture. The subtle tanginess of the tomato base blended with the spice flavor, so it never felt too heavy or greasy. A great flavor even for people who find strongly spiced curries intimidating!

Tearing off a big piece of the freshly baked naan and dipping it deep into the butter curry, the chewy naan and the rich, smooth curry went really well together.

The set also came with rice, so after eating my fill with naan, I mixed the remaining butter curry into the rice. Being able to enjoy it two ways — with naan and with rice — made for a pretty filling meal.

How butter curry tastes with rice

It was delicious dipped generously into naan, but the butter curry was also loaded with big chunks of chicken. Scooping it up with a spoon, the soft curry clung richly to the chicken, and the savory, creamy sauce paired well with the mild chicken.

After eating some with naan, I tried piling the butter curry and chicken generously onto the accompanying rice. Unlike dipping it with chewy naan, the curry soaked moistly into the rice grains, giving it a different kind of charm.

Personally, I'd recommend alternating — a bite of naan, a bite of rice. There was plenty of curry, so I could enjoy it fully right to the end without running short.

How butter curry tastes with naan

The generously sized plain naan came out freshly baked, warm, and had a nice fluffy yet chewy texture. Tearing off a bite-sized piece and piling on plenty of butter curry — the savory naan and the soft, creamy curry soaked in perfectly, a really great match.

Adding a piece of the chicken from inside the butter curry made each bite even more filling. The naan itself came in a generous size, plenty enough to soak up the curry without holding back.

I liked it with rice too, but personally, dipping the butter curry into warm naan was still my favorite combination.

Is India Darbar near Sillim Station worth a visit?

✔️ Taste — The butter curry was savory and creamy without being overpoweringly spicy, easy to enjoy. Dipping it into warm naan was the most satisfying combination, and the tandoori chicken and samosa each had their own distinct charm.

✔️ Price — Based on the current public menu, Set B is ₩17,000. Considering it includes salad, tandoori chicken, curry and naan, rice, and lassi all in one, it felt like decent value for what you get. The samosa is ₩6,000.

✔️ Atmosphere — Red walls, a Nepali flag, and local-style paintings and props throughout gave it a definite exotic feel. A great spot if you want a change of pace for a meal in Sillim!

✔️ Service — The dishes came out in order without issue, and the curry stayed warm on a warmer throughout the meal, which was a nice touch.

✔️ Would I return — Yes, I'd like to come back and try other curries and naan besides the butter curry.

✔️ Who I'd recommend this to — Anyone looking for good food near Sillim Station, first-timers to Indian food, fans of curry and naan, and anyone who'd rather sample a variety of Indian dishes than just one.