Indian curry near Sillim Station, Gwanak: India Darbar set meal

It had been ages since my older brother and I went out for a meal... We wondered what to eat, then headed back to India Darbar (인디아 더르바르), which we had visited before! It is the first curry spot that comes to mind whenever I want Indian curry around Sillim Station. The chefs cook everything themselves, so you can try all sorts of dishes, from curry and naan to tandoori dishes, and the atmosphere feels completely like being in India too, haha. It is close to Sillim Station and Dorimcheon Stream is right out front, so it is great for a post-meal walk—I would even recommend it for a Sillim date course!

Getting to India Darbar from Sillim Station

India Darbar is a convenient three-minute walk from Sillim Station. Dorimcheon Stream is right in front too, making it a great location for a stroll after a meal! For a date, I think it would be nice to combine dinner with a walk along the stream.

The building has a large India Darbar sign, so even first-time visitors should have no trouble finding it. The restaurant is on the second floor, up the stairs.

An interior that feels like India

The moment we stepped inside, it felt completely like India~! Indian-style decorations and interiors were everywhere, and even the music had an Indian feel, so I suddenly felt as if I had traveled somewhere while standing in the middle of Seoul.

The owner and staff spoke Korean well too, so ordering and asking about the menu was not inconvenient at all.

Choosing Indian and Nepali dishes

India Darbar has such a wide range of Indian and Nepali dishes. There were curries, tandoori chicken, Nepali-style dumplings, and so much more. Even among the curries, there were plenty of choices to suit your taste, including familiar butter chicken as well as chicken korma, masala, vindaloo, and palak. Some dishes are hard to picture from the name alone, but the menu has detailed descriptions, so even Indian-curry first-timers should be able to choose without trouble, haha. There are well-organized single-person sets too, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good solo dining spot in Sillim!

A Set with chicken makhani and chicken masala

We each ordered the A Set, which comes with curry, naan, rice, chicken tikka, green salad, and lassi. It is a single-person set where you only need to choose your curry! I chose chicken makhani, while my brother chose chicken masala.

Lassi and side dishes

First out was the lassi! Lassi is an Indian yogurt drink with a rich yogurt flavor. It was clean and refreshing, nice before the meal and equally good to sip between bites of curry.

Then the side dishes and curry sets arrived~ The basic sides were jalapeños, danmuji (yellow pickled radish), and seasoned onions. They were nice to pick at alongside the curry and naan.

Chicken makhani with butter naan

My set came with chicken makhani. I switched the naan to butter naan, and the rich, nutty butter flavor made it especially delicious.

The green salad came with a sweet mango dressing that went nicely with the fresh vegetables. It was light and good to have before the curry.

They provided scissors too, so I cut the naan into easy-to-eat pieces. Dipping the chewy naan deeply into the chicken makhani~ It was so buttery that it tasted good even on its own.

Chicken tikka that was not overpowering

The set also came with chicken tikka! It looked as though the spices might be quite strong, but it was less intense than expected. The spices did not jump out too much, so I think even people who do not regularly eat Indian food could enjoy it comfortably. The chicken makhani was smooth and rich, with plenty of chicken pieces inside. I dipped naan into it, then happily ate it with rice too.

Chicken masala mild enough for spice-sensitive diners

My brother ordered chicken masala. The menu marked it as spicy, so I wondered whether it would be really hot, but it was not as spicy as expected. We are both not great with spicy food, yet we could eat it without any trouble, haha.

An extra sweet naan loaded with honey

While eating, we also ordered sweet naan~! It was covered generously with honey—can you see how much honey is on it even in the photo? Haha.

The naan itself was wonderfully chewy, and with the sweet honey added, it was delicious even without curry. I cut this into bite-size pieces with the scissors too. Honestly, the portions were generous enough that we would have been full without adding sweet naan. I ordered it because I was curious, and in the end I almost burst from being so full... Still, I was satisfied to have tried the dish I had been wondering about~!

A meal that flows nicely into a Dorimcheon walk

India Darbar was a lovely place to enjoy a variety of curries and naan in a real Indian atmosphere in Sillim! I had been here before, but it was just as delicious when I came back this time. The chicken makhani was smooth and rich, perfect with the chewy butter naan, and the chicken masala was not as spicy as expected, so even spice-sensitive diners like us enjoyed it. It is close to Sillim Station and well located for a walk along Dorimcheon Stream after eating, so I think it would make a nice Sillim date course too.