On this day, I visited SPICY CURRY Roka in Okubo.Like the previous visit to Takeuchi, this place is among my top three must-try curry spots.Many people might know it for its collaboration menus with convenience stores and other restaurants.However, it’s quite challenging for regular office workers to visit since it’s closed on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (I heard they opened for a few days during the recent Golden Week). You need to arrive early in the morning or before evening to secure a spot, making it a Very Hard visit.I had a weekday off, so I made an effort to go and register early in the morning.I arrived around 9 AM on a weekday, although I wished I could have come a bit earlier, but there were train delays…(^^;)It’s just a little over a minute’s walk from Okubo Station. It’s also a reasonable distance to walk from Shinjuku Station.At the registration desk, it seems they have a time-based entry system with several groups. Unfortunately, the first group was already full.I had some errands to run, so I made a reservation for around noon.By the way, it seems that the 9 AM slots fill up quickly, so it’s better to arrive early.I arrived at the scheduled time. After a short wait, I was guided in according to the registration order.Once inside, the owner, Eri-tin, explained the menu.She looks like a complete blonde gal, but her explanations were very polite and easy to understand.The Roka Plate seems to be popular, combining curry with Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice).They also have the limited Nikaido Keema and Strong Lu Rou, plus a curry with Lamb Vindaloo.Each dish is prepared and served one at a time, and the wait wasn’t too long.The presentation of the curry was very appealing.With boiled eggs, vegetable salad, and achar, the colors were beautiful, and I could already sense the deliciousness.The Nikaido Keema had a strong flavor of Sichuan pepper.It was quite spicy but had a refreshing and robust taste.I had a similar keema recently, and it was really delicious.The amount of ground pork was impressive, and the addition of perilla leaves added an interesting twist that you don’t find in regular keema curry.The Lu Rou was thick slices of pork belly seasoned with star anise, which paired nicely with the rice.While there was some overlap with the pork in the keema, I love pork, so it was no problem at all! I would have appreciated a bit more quantity, though.The Lamb Vindaloo was somewhat spicy, just at the limit of what I could handle.The diced lamb had a strong presence, and the acidity was just right, making it quite impressive.I felt like I could have used a bit more rice, so if you order the mini curry, you might want to go for the large rice option.The curry was delicious, but the owner’s service was also very attentive and left a good impression.Even though it’s a one-person operation, the service was efficient, and the food was served promptly. That’s the advantage of a reservation system.This curry shop truly lived up to its reputation!The high difficulty of visiting is a drawback, but I definitely want to come back again! (^^)