YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — You never forget your first shag.
Mine was with a chicken just last month at the T-Side restaurant, and I’ve since returned for seconds.
Shag, as I’m sure you already knew, refers to Indian cuisine prepared with spinach. But it never fails to induce a fit of giggles when my extremely mature friends and I crack open the menu or order some.
T-Side is located on Kamakura’s Shopping Street, where it has operated for 12 years in three different locations. It features an extensive array of Indian dishes — so many that my friend Sparkle described the menu as “overwhelming.”
It’s printed in English and Japanese and includes pictures for those who might think that “Aloo Gobi” is a type of fish.
T-Side is a good place for those who don’t know much about Indian food and want to learn. Our friend Julie was a tough customer — she doesn’t even really like Indian food. But she liked T-Side’s voluminous menu and quite enjoyed the Indian spring rolls and her fish tikka, she said. I’m more of a super spicy curry hound and like to sop it up with the garlic naan, a lava flow of bubbly brown bread.
You can also order your food “mild,” like my friend Dawn. This last time at T-Side, it didn’t turn out that way but she was determined to finish it. Her survival tip: A little lassi — a tangy Indian yogurt drink — goes a long way to neutralize “the burning flesh feeling,” she said.
On your way out the door, grab some of the breath-freshening fennel seeds in a jar. And don’t forget to tell your friends the location of the best shag in town.
To see previous After Hours reviews, go to stripes.com/afterhours.
T-Side
Prices: If you’re unsure what to order, try the set menu. For 2,100 yen, you get tandoori chicken, kebab, soup/salad, appetizer, three curries, naan, a drink and dessert. Sets run about 1,000-1,500 yen at lunchtime. Individual dishes cost anywhere from 650 yen to 1,700 yen. Ebisu beer is on tap (630 yen) but there is also an array of Indian bottled beers and, my favorite, Kamakura beer. T-Side also has a wine list, soft drinks, coffee, tea and yummy lassis.Specialties: Indian food of all varieties, including Nepalese and South Indian cuisine, and all types of curries.Dress: Casual.Clientele: Mix of Japanese and tourists from all over the world. T-Side has been written up in several guidebooks and people of all nationalities come through the doors with guidebooks in hand.Location: From Yokosuka Naval Base, take a JR train north to Kamakura Station (210 yen). Take the east exit. Turn left out of the station and head to “Shopping Street” — a skinny street next to McDonald’s with the words “Shopping Street” emblazoned on the archway over the road. Keep your eye on these “Shopping Street” archways and turn right down the short alley at the second one. Look for T-Side’s merry yellow sign on the right. Otani Bldg. 1F, Komachi, Kamakura city.Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day.Phone Number: 0467-24-9572.Web site: Coming soon.
