In the mood for authentic Indian curry in Taipei? Look no further than Namaste Taiwan, a hidden gem set within the bustling Shida Night Market. This Taipei Indian restaurant caters to meat lovers and vegetarians with a focused menu that allows them to perfect each dish.
Unlike many Indian restaurants, Namaste Taiwan boasts a concise selection, featuring just three mouthwatering meat curries alongside a wider variety of vegetarian options. Don’t be fooled by the limited choices, though! Each dish is carefully balanced, delicious flavours crafted with fresh, aromatic spices that make it authentically Indian. And what’s an Indian curry in Taipei without perfectly-made naan? Namaste Taiwan takes pride in preparing their crunchy naan fresh daily, ensuring an authentic experience from start to finish.
To make your Taipei Indian food adventure even more delightful, Namaste Taiwan offers fantastic value set meals. Choose between fluffy rice or their signature naan, both served with a refreshing salad of pickled vegetables and a tangy dipping sauce to tantalize your palate. To complete your meal, they also boast a selection of classic Indian drinks like the warm and spicy masala chai or a cooling lassi, perfect for a hot Taipei night. So, next time you’re craving Indian curry in Taipei, ditch the usual night market fare and embark on a flavourful journey at Namaste Taiwan
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Walking through Shida Night Market is a general pleasure most of the time. The sprawling side streets of this spread out night market is what makes it such a popular place for tourists and locals to visit. The fact that it is right next to National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) means that it is oftentimes flooded with students in the evenings, but it’s well worth plodding around at any time of day.
If you enter the night market from the Heping East Road entrance at Long Quan Street by Taiwan Bank, you will stumble across Namaste Taiwan before you get into the heart of the night market. This is the best way to navigate around the crowds.
Odds are that when you arrive, you will see the owner doing one of two things: Tending to his curry, or making his naan bread. This is a humbling site not often seen in Taiwan, and one that I truly appreciate.
While the naan bread might not be the fluffy and heavy breaded kind that you may know and be used to, this naan bread is a little more on the crunchy side and not quite as thick. Personally, I prefer this, as it means that it doesn’t weigh you down while eating your curry.
If you aren’t sure how to order or what to do when you arrive at Namaste Taiwan, then this is the post for you. See below for How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
3 Fast Tips on How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
The Menu at Namaste Taiwan
The menu is relatively simple and made even more simple by its bilingual nature. You'll see that the first blue column is the price of the dish + rice, the middle column is + naan, and the final green column is a la carte. I would strongly recommend that you go for the naan bread option, especially as they make and bake their naan fresh to order.
As the restaurant itself is not huge, neither is the staffing body here. On the day that we dined in, the owner was cooking up a storm in the roadside kitchen and 2 other staff were both cutting up the vegetable salads, serving up the dishes, and then expediting to the customers. With that in mind, those conditions above make total sense.
Appetizer - Vegetable Salad w/Dip
A lightly pickled cucumber arrives with some carrot cubes and a refreshing minty coriander dip. It was a warm day when we dined here, so this helped take the edge off the heat outside.
Naan Bread
As previously stated, the naan here at Namaste Taiwan aren't particularly thick or doughy - this is a huge positive in my book. On the left is the original naan bread and on the right is the butter naan (you will pay +$10 for the butter naan).
As it was our first time here we felt like we had to go for one plain and one butter naan just to do some comparisons. I will go for the plain next time, but not because the butter naan was bad in any way, I just didn't think it added anything to the experience. I really like the naan here. The crunchy edges and the overall texture of everything is right on the money.
Aloo Mutter
For those that know - potato in an Indian curry can be something truly delicious. The potato seems to soak up the curry and add body to the curry itself. The flavour of this North Indian Aloo (potato) Matar warms the soul with its simplicity. Tender potatoes and vibrant green peas nestle in a creamy tomato gravy, gently spiced but buzzing with flavours. I was initially concerned with the watery consistency of the curry. However, it was so nicely flavoured that I grew to love it.
For those regular readers out there, you should already know how much I dislike soup. I see a watery curry as simply a spicy soup - not my cup of tea. I tend to go for a thicker consistency if I can. But, I would order this aloo mutter without a second thought. The rich tomato curry was so perfectly balanced with fragrance and spice (it was not spicy at all, really) that was so easily mopped up by the naan bread. Indian food in Taipei really is going for strength to strength. Long may it continue!
Mutton Curry
Mutton gets an unfairly bad reputation for being chewy, heavy in lamb flavour, and overall tough. I disagree with that on all counts. Mutton is packed full of lamb flavour and a more developed meat that takes on flavour incredibly well. Mutton, for those who don't know, is typically meat from a sheep that could be anything as young as 18 months old to over 24 months old.
This mutton has been cooked long and slow in the curry, allowing the meat to take on an amazing depth of flavour, and allowing the fat within the meat to melt away and bring nothing but a juicy texture to the meat. This curry was slightly spicier than the Aloo Mutter and the sauce was a little thicker, too. This was two great positives for me. I like a thicker, spicier curry. It went beautifully with the naan bread. I left with a very happy smile on my face. This is a Taipei Indian restaurant worth checking out, for sure.
The Bottom Line
Is it worth it? Indian food in Taipei has, in the past, been quite hit and miss. While there are plenty of delicious options out there now, they do tend to be on the pricier side. The value for money here at Namaste Taiwan is unbeatable, in my opinion.
What is the best dish? Mutton Curry. You have to get this. The Aloo Mutter is similarly great. Get both. Live it.
Are there other places like this? There are plenty of Indian Curry restaurants in Taipei. Many Taipei Indian restaurants tend to be more expensive and have less meat or key ingredients in the curry, but there are plenty out there.