Mapo Indian restaurant for butter chicken curry: Mandala Indian Lounge

Butter chicken curry found in Hapjeong

Indian curry is such an interesting food. It is not something I eat often, but I find myself craving it regularly. 🍛 I had something to do near Hapjeong Station, and I happened to hear there was a great place for butter chicken curry, so off I went for Indian curry. The place I visited was Mandala Indian Lounge (만다라 인도 라운지) in Hapjeong. 🇮🇳

It opens at 12, but I arrived a little early and waited briefly in the seating area by the entrance. A cool breeze was drifting in, so I watched the weather outside and got some fresh air while happily waiting for opening time. 🌿

As opening time approached, a delivery of alcohol for cocktails arrived. 🍸 It seems plenty of people come here for cocktails in the evening, too.

When I first saw the sign, I thought, “Ah, this will probably have the usual Indian restaurant atmosphere, too.”

A modern interior that surprised me as soon as I walked in

But that thought disappeared the moment I opened the door and walked in. It had the most modern and prettiest interior design of any Indian restaurant I have visited. The tables were nicely spaced apart, too.

It kept the distinctive, exotic feel of an Indian restaurant while feeling polished and comfortable overall, so I liked it far more than I expected. ✨

From curries to sets and vegetarian options

The menu was quite varied, too. Along with curries, there were plenty of appetizers, fried rice, naan (Indian flatbread), and alcoholic drinks. They also had couple sets, three-person sets, and family sets, which looked handy when visiting in a group. There were several vegetarian options as well, and it seemed that hookah (water pipe) was available in the evening.

They were also running a Naver receipt review event: apparently, if you write a review, you receive one plain naan, butter naan, or garlic naan. 🫓

Ordering cheese naan and chicken makhani

To start, I ordered cheese naan, butter chicken (chicken makhani), and mango lassi (a yogurt drink). 🍛🥭 Both the chef and the person serving the dining room seemed to be from India. 🇮🇳😊

I wanted a curry that was sweet with a little heat, and it was exactly the flavor I had been hoping for.

The smooth, gently sweet flavor was joined by subtle spice, and once I started dipping the naan into it, I just kept reaching for more. There were plenty of substantial chunks of chicken, too. 🍗

Thick cheese naan

And what I really loved was the cheese naan! 🧀 There was a thick layer of cheese between the dough, so as a cheese lover, I was sold from the very beginning.

Even after diligently dipping and eating a whole naan, there was still curry left. So I ordered another garlic naan.

Garlic naan, crisp outside and soft inside

I would have been pretty disappointed if I had not tried the garlic naan. 😂 Its surface was so crisp that I wondered whether I had ever eaten naan this crunchy before. It was not hard all the way through, though: crisp on the outside and pleasantly soft inside, making it perfect with the curry. 🫓✨

Mango lassi after the spicy curry

Lastly, the mango lassi. 🥭 It was topped generously with whipped cream, then prettily finished with raisins, nuts, and coconut slices. It paired well with the curry, but I deliberately saved a little and finished it after the meal. The sweet, smooth mango lassi was just right for refreshing my palate after the spicy curry. 😊

At first, I simply came here while looking for a good butter chicken curry place near Hapjeong Station, but it turned into a satisfying meal with the neat, polished atmosphere, naan, and lassi. 🍛 It is lovely to unexpectedly find a place you like while traveling, but discovering somewhere in everyday life that makes you think, “This place is nice,” is its own little joy, too. 😊💚

Whenever I suddenly start craving Indian curry, I think I will come back here. Next time, I should slowly try the other curries I did not get to have today, one by one. 🇮🇳🍛 If you are looking for a different kind of meal in Hapjeong, Mandala Indian Lounge is worth remembering. 😊