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A savory dish that will satisfy both your stomach and your soul for around 600 yen
"Pneuma curry"

[Interview, text and photography]
Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC Student Staff)
Suhon Kanai, 2nd year student, School of Law

Take exit 7 of Takadanobaba Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, walk down the alley and it's 30 seconds away. Once you get a little further away from the hustle and bustle of Waseda Street, you'll see a simple curry restaurant on your left called "Pneuma Curry." For the bargain price of 630 yen, you can enjoy fragrant, spicy curry. It's a famous restaurant that is very busy with nearby office workers at lunchtime, and often sells out by the end of lunchtime.

Owner Hase, who had been thinking about opening a restaurant for a long time, rented a vacant house on Ibuki Island (Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture), the venue of the Setouchi Triennale, and served curry during autumn in 2016. Feeling that it was a success, he opened his restaurant in 2017.

Look for the yellow sign

"Pneuma" is a strange, unfamiliar word that means "breath" or "wind" in classical Greek. In other words, the restaurant's name is taken from "伊吹 Ibuki", which contains kanji that can mean breath/wind! Hase is actually a graduate of Waseda University's School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I (as it was known at the time) and studied ancient Western history at university, so the naming makes sense.

The interior of the restaurant is decorated with flyers from various Waseda University student clubs, giving it a university town atmosphere. The interior is based on yellow, and from the counter seats you can see the colorful spices lined up in the kitchen, making you feel excited for the curry you are about to enjoy.

Left photo: Inside the restaurant. Apparently it was originally a bar that was renovated. There are only 8 seats at the counter.
Right photo: Colorful spices piled up in the kitchen

The menu is quite simple. There are two options: "Chicken Curry" and "Special Spicy Chicken Curry", which is served on Thursdays and Fridays, with only 15 servings per day. Four toppings can be ordered separately: fried onion (50 yen), boiled egg (60 yen), pickled chickpeas (70 yen), and cheese (100 yen). This time, I tried both the chicken curry and the special spicy chicken curry.

"Chicken curry" regular size 630 yen

First up is the "Chicken Curry." As soon as you put it in your mouth, the spices hits you from your throat to your nose! A unique aroma that you can't get at home fills your senses. It's not too spicy, so even those who don't like spicy food can enjoy it. The secret to its deliciousness isn't just the spices. The curry roux is made with sardines prepared in the style of anchovies, a specialty of Ibuki Island, where the restaurant originated, giving it a rich umami and saltiness. Even in faraway Tokyo, the bounty of the Seto Inland Sea continues to support the taste of the curry.

"Special spicy chicken curry" regular size 680 yen

Next up is the "Special Spicy Chicken Curry." This has a more stimulating spiciness. However, it's not just the spiciness of increased amounts of spicy seasonings. It combines a number of aromatic spices, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. The recommended topping is pickled chickpeas. Their unique sourness adds variety to the flavor, so you can enjoy the curry right to the end without getting bored. It does its job perfectly as a topping.

A small serving of rice is 30 yen off, a medium serving is 50 yen extra, and a large serving is 100 yen extra.

And what he wants to convey above all else is his passion for price. When I asked Hase about his commitment to the menu, he told me straight out that he wants to be able to offer it at a low price.

Hase still frequents famous Wasemeshi restaurants such as "Waseda no Bentoya," "Kitchen Otoboke," and "Sanpin Shokudo." Having been a customer of Wasemeshi restaurants that filled him up at a reasonable price for so long, he developed the feeling that "around 700 yen is an acceptable price for lunch." He reflected this feeling in the restaurant's pricing, so the menu items at "Pneuma Curry" are priced at around 600 to 700 yen.

Hase does not accept the idea that "it's delicious so it can't be helped if it's expensive," but instead stoically pursues a balance between price and taste. What supports his passion is the spirit of cheap and delicious Wasemeshi and Hase's reliable skills.

"Pneuma Curry" has inherited the spirit of Wasemeshi that has remained unchanged, along with the bounty of Ibuki Island. This is a highly recommended gourmet spot that we would like more Waseda students to know about, whether you are looking to fill your stomach cheaply, want to eat a special curry, or use Takadanobaba Station frequently.

Store Information
[Store name] Pneuma Curry
[Address] 1-17-10 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
[Business hours] Monday to Saturday 10:45-15:30, 17:00-20:00
*Store will close once sold out.
*Payment is by cash only.
[Closed] Sundays and public holidays
[X] @pneumacurry2016

*All prices in the article include tax.

A message from the owner, Hase, to Waseda students

"It gets very busy between 12:00 and 13:00, so please come and have a late breakfast before lunch. Check X to see if it's sold out!"