NEW DELHI: Reporters and food importers showed interest when curry made by Japanese restaurant chain Ichibanya Co. was served at an event in New Delhi this week.

"North Indian curry is No. 1 in the world, but I like this curry, too," said Paresh Gupta, 26, a food blogger, who took another helping of curry with spinach and cottage cheese, designed for vegetarians.

The event was held at the Japanese Embassy on Wednesday to help enhance the recognition of Japanese food in India. Also served by Ichibanya, which plans to open its first outlet in the country in spring, was keema curry with ground chicken.

Hirosuke Nakamura, chief operating officer at a venture jointly set up by Ichibanya and a local company, passed curry to guests to observe their reactions. "We brought curry sauce from Japan. Everyone reacted favorably," he said.

Also at the event, steak restaurant chain Pepper Lunch served food for the first time in the country, in an attempt to find a partner to do business in the market of 1.3 billion people.

Pepper Lunch offered a dish of rice surrounded by shrimps and chicken or vegetables, as eating beef is prohibited in some states in the country.

"We received favorable reactions," said Takashi Ikeno, an official at Suntory F&B International Co. who is in charge of Pepper Lunch business in Southeast Asia.

JIJI Press