One of Malaysia’s pride and joy, nasi kandar, has reached the shores of Japan, and it has won the hearts of its citizens with Malaysian-Indian cuisine ? Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo opened in early February this year and is the first-ever halal nasi kandar store in the country ?
Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo Sells Halal Nasi Kandar, The First-Ever In Japan
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Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo is owned by Mr Tateda, who has also owned a South Indian restaurant in Osaka, titled Zero One Curry, according to Japanese Heart.Mr Tateda visit India often, and during one of his trips, he stopped over at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and tried the curry in nasi kandar. He realised that the taste was quite different from the curries he tried in India, and he was amazed at the delicious concoction of flavours. He was inspired by the idea of having a nasi kandar store in Japan was born, and together with a local chef, Chef Kakue, Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo was born ?
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It’s everything you expect from your usual nasi kandar store: choose between white rice or nasi biryani, and select up to three vegetable dishes, two curries and one main dish. You’ll be spoiled over the array of dishes they serve: at least six different choices of curry and all-time favourite side dishes like hard-boiled eggs, fried chicken, fried shrimp, squid, lamb cutlets, okra (or commonly known as ladies’ finger) and more.
P.S. Missing Japanese food? We got you covered with the ultimate guide to halal Japanese food in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur!
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Each meal is also served in banana leaves as well as plastic or metal plates, just like you’d find in any roadside stall in Malaysia. The walls of the store are even furnished with Malaysian aesthetics and murals to emulate the Malaysian nasi kandar experience ☺️
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We reached out to them and they informed us that all of their food is halal and uses ingredients from halal-certified suppliers. They even offer a vegetarian menu, and all of their vegetables are fresh and organically sourced from farmers in Japan.
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You don’t have to worry about authenticity at Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo. All of their dishes are suited to the original taste of nasi kandar you love, instead of a taste that suits the Japanese people; a motto they follow through every day, according to their website ? And by the looks of their social media pages, the store is a great hit among locals with customers willingly queuing up for a plate all day long! It sold out on their opening day, and it has regularly sold out before their closing hours too. We wish we were there to try it for ourselves! ?
P.S. We got you a guide for the best authentic halal Japanese restaurants in Tokyo covered!
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If you’re a Malaysian living in Japan and you’re missing local food a little, or you’re excited to try this out on your future trip to Japan, check out Zero Two Nasi Kandar Tokyo, only 5 minutes away from Otemachi Station! ?
Halal status: We reached out to them and they informed us that all of their food is halal and uses ingredients from halal-certified suppliers. They also serve alcohol in the premises. You're advised to dine in at your own discretion.