Japanese Curry
Yesterday, I wrote that I would have curry for lunch today, but I ended up eating lunch at home. I had to grab dinner near work, so I made a beeline for this curry shop, which I mentioned yesterday. It is called, 「カレーの王様」or “The Curry King.” I go here from time to time. The food is delicious, and the service is great (but then again, that is almost always the case in Japan). I’ve introduced several people to this restaurant, including my sister. Everyone loves it.
I ordered “katsu curry” [ロースかつカレー」, which is a breaded pork cutlet on rice, with some shredded salad, and brown curry sauce. If you are familiar with Thai curry, for example, the Japanese variation is completely different. It is actually similar to Indian curry, but it has a different flavor (it’s usually less spicy, with a creamier texture). The first time I ever had it was in Seattle, and I was disappointed because I was expecting Thai curry, which I have always loved. But I really love Japanese curry, too. It is a popular dish in Japan. If you want to see a basic picture and explanation on Japanese curry, you can check out the Wikipedia article on Japanese Curry, but the curry in the picture is not as nice as what I had at the restaurant! This picture looks more like the cheap, instant stuff you get at the store (which is also ok, but not as good).
Unfortunately, I was in a hurry, so I only took this one picture of the restaurant, but if you look on the right side, you can see the typical food models that restaurants often put outside to entice passing customers.
Oh, and I just happened to find S&B Foods’ “The Japanese Curry Story” online (in English!)…so if you want to read about the history of curry in Japan, feel free to click on the link.
