Butter curry, naan and chicken tikka Set B at Manokamana, an Indian restaurant in Songdo, Incheon

I was looking for somewhere to eat in Songdo Triple Street, and for some reason the usual menus just weren't doing it for me that day. Not pasta, not meat, I wanted something that would feel like a change of pace.

That's when Manokamana Triple Street Branch 2 (머노까머나 트리플스트리트2호점) caught my eye.

An exotic atmosphere with orange-toned interiors

Right from the entrance there were orange walls, exotic lighting and Indian-style decor, so the mood felt completely different before I even walked in.

Turns out Manokamana means 'hope' in Nepali. Once I knew what the name meant, it somehow stuck in my memory even more.

What's in Set B for two, and the price

We ordered Set B for two

What we ordered was Manokamana's Set B for two. It's ₩19,000 per person, and it comes with green salad, chicken tikka, curry, naan, rice and lassi (yogurt drink).

For the curry we picked the butter curry. On the menu it's a curry, but to my palate it felt more like a smooth butter curry. On a first visit there are so many curries and several kinds of naan that it's surprisingly hard to decide.

In that case a set is much easier than ordering à la carte. The flow of the meal sorts itself out, so it was nice for tasting a bit of everything.

The butter curry comes alive with naan

The butter curry comes alive when you eat it with naan

The butter curry wasn't the kind where the spices hit you hard. The smooth taste of tomato and cream came first, with the spice aroma lingering gently afterward.

If you eat Indian curry often, you might find it a little mild.

On the other hand, if it's your first time with Indian food, or heavily spiced dishes are a bit much for you, this butter curry looked like a good entry point. Tearing the warm naan by hand and piling on the curry, that's when I thought, 'ah, that's the taste.'

Rice came with it too, so I also mixed some into the rice.

Big, chewy naan

The naan wasn't just a side

The naan comes out bigger than you'd expect. It has presence the moment it lands on the table. The outside is baked plain and light, and when you tear it by hand the inside folds with a chewy stretch. Dipped in the curry, the smooth curry and the nutty naan come up together, and I kept reaching for more.

The curry portion isn't hugely generous, but the naan is big enough that you end up scraping the sauce to the very end. Next time, I'd pick a slightly richer curry and add an extra naan.

The set's twist: chicken tikka

The twist in the set is the chicken tikka

In photos the chicken tikka is quite dark in color and looks like it'd be spicy, but in reality it wasn't overwhelming. The spice marinade had soaked in nicely on the outside, and the inside kept the grain of the chicken, so it had a satisfying chew.

With just curry and naan, everything stays on the smooth side, but when the chicken tikka comes in between, the texture changes. A little squeeze of lemon made it even cleaner to eat.

I felt this chicken tikka plays a pretty important role in Set B. Without it the meal might have been a little plain, but thanks to it the whole thing felt more substantial.

Plain lassi vs. mango lassi

Lassi is included in the set, mango lassi is +₩1,000

Set B includes a lassi. We chose one plain lassi and one mango lassi, and the mango lassi was ₩1,000 extra.

The plain lassi was light and clean, so it was good for resetting the palate between bites of curry. The mango lassi was definitely sweeter and nice to drink like a dessert drink.

Personally, ordering both and alternating worked well. Since the butter curry is on the mild side, having lassi alongside made the whole meal go down even more easily.

Who is it a good fit for?

I think it suits people who always eat the same kind of thing at Triple Street and need a new option, Indian curry beginners, and anyone who loves dipping naan in curry. On the flip side, if you're expecting very strong spices and the bold punch of local-style food, the butter curry may feel a bit mild. Those folks would probably do better choosing a curry with a more distinct aroma, like chicken masala.

Visit information

• Name: Manokamana Triple Street Branch 2
• Location: 33-3 Songdogwahak-ro 16beon-gil, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea (인천 연수구 송도과학로16번길 33-3)
• Nearest station: Technopark Station, Exit 2
• Hours: Daily 10:00–22:00
• What we ate: Set B for two, butter curry, plain lassi, mango lassi
• Price: Set B ₩19,000 per person / mango lassi +₩1,000
• Highlights: big naan, smooth butter curry, chicken tikka, exotic atmosphere

A meal out of the ordinary in Songdo

Manokamana is a place I remember for the food, sure, but for the atmosphere of the space too. It's a good fit when you want to feel like you've briefly landed in another country inside Songdo Triple Street.

The butter curry in particular was far more appealing with naan than with rice, and with chicken tikka and lassi coming along too, Set B made a safe choice for a first visit.

If I go back, I'd switch to a richer curry and add a naan. If you're craving something different from the usual at Songdo Triple Street, starting with Manokamana's Set B seems like a fine idea. When you eat Indian curry, are you team rice or team naan?