nataraj- delicious!
Posted on 10 / 21 / 2011This is the second time we have visited Nataraj. The first, a year ago, was one of the highlights of our time. Amazing food, fresh and delicious (once we found it! It's in the Breeze Breeze building - level 5)
A little on the expensive side ( we did order a few dishes and it cost us around $70 aust.) we still thought it was worth it.
Today we were in for a lovely suprise - Nataraj have a buffet lunch special at 980 yen per person! AMAZING! The pumpkin curry was the best I have ever had, and my partner went back for more! 980 Yen for all you can eat is an absolute bargain - we don't know if this is a 'special' or if it is a regular occurance now, but do check it out. The quality is still so high for such a low price.
Definately worth the trip.
Accessed south from Osaka station (Kitashinchi station is very near but we didn't use it this time)and the map on this site is quite correct.
Cons: may prove difficult to find, can be pricey depending on your order
They have stopped having the buffet at lunch, but now I can get a curry set AND soymilk tapioca for about the same price. It's about what I would get at the buffet but with more rice and less curry. As of right now, curry sets A, B, C, D, and G are vegan if you choose rice (and not nan bread). The lunch menu still isn't helpfully marked like the dinner menu, but if you can read Japanese the milk-containing curries say "milk" or "creamy" in the description.
Now the lunch buffet is back, and cheaper. But the pakoras are gone and it seems that two of four curries contain dairy.
The vegan-friendliness of the buffet varies widely. It could be all vegan curries (meaning everything but the nan bread is vegan) or only half vegan curries and not well-labeled, depending on the day. (The dinner menu is clearly labeled but also costs a lot more, and the sets aren't very vegan-friendly. The amount of food I get for 1000 yen at lunch costs me 2500 yen or so at dinner.)