CURRY & BAR 240 — Restaurant in Kyoto

So delicious! We both had the “3 types of curry” option since we wanted to try them all. There was the Pakistani curry with chicken (was reminiscent of jerk chicken to me), creamy pork keema with crispy anchovies(??), some kind of crispy tiny fish atop the curry, definitely cooked with dashi. And what I think was a beef soup curry (can’t recall if it was beef or pork).

This is nothing like the usual “Japanese curry” you’ll find that’s made from a roux and has a very mild sweetish flavor with a thick, uniform, consistency. This is more like, Indian/ Pakistani curries with very significant Japanese twists. Loads and loads of spices went into these curries, creating immense depth of flavor. Everything though clearly had strong Japanese influence in terms of the broths, felt like there was definitely dashi made from bonito used in at least two of the three curries.

I loved the homemade pickles too. My favorite was the cabbage slaw. Actually I also loved the little quail egg and the tomato and cucumber “chutney”(?). Anyway, everything was great. Definitely worth trying when you’re in Kyoto— I’ve never had curries like this in my life.

I can’t believe how affordable it is—our plates were huge and overflowing and every curry obviously required immense effort to create. I was fit to burst but I just couldn’t finish all the food even though I felt so bad to leave any behind knowing how much effort must’ve gone into these curries. How many spices must’ve been ground and used? I was counting out the guests and trying to figure out how the owner could possibly turn a profit at these prices. I kind of hope he raises the prices because I think it’s so underpriced right now and I’d rather he stay...

I’m usually not a huge fan of Indian food, but my dad loves it so we gave this place a shot.

The food was incredibly flavourful. We each got the variety plate, which came with rice and three different types of curry. I especially liked the one with squid (light green in colour), which had a bit of a subtler flavour that the rest. I think the menu changes periodically, so it may be different when you go!

I’m gathering from other reviews that this place leans more into Indian style curry, while still utilizing some traditional Japanese flavours. My dad was a huge fan of this place. Cool owner, good music, good food. A no brainer if...

Bring cash, this place can't do credit cards. The short menu of only two curries tell me this place is focused and confident. And it's good! A rather good attempt at a more authentic Indian curry than a Japanese style roux based curry. Pleasantly spiced and with excellent sides.

Perhaps the hype our friends gave us was a little too high a peak to summit. The phrase "God curry" was passed around in conversation, which elevated my expectations.

So unfortunately it isn't mind blowing and life changing. But the ambiance and for is cozy...