This spot has been on my radar for a while, since it bears Japanese name, and it is a curry restaurant! I love Japanese curry, but yet this restaurant is located in Korean Town… So, is it Japanese or Korean restaurant??? So I ventured out to find out the answer for myself!

From what I understand, they serve “Japanese style” curry, with Korean twist. It is a Korean restaurant that does not serve typical Korean food. I think it has something to do with someone having a Japanese grandfather??? I am not sure…as most of the stuff was written in Korean language. Anyways, we walked in to a clean, bright interior that was more narrow and long. The seating go from the entrance all the way back to where their kitchen is.

The front half is more narrow, with tables on one side of the wall, and rather simple decoration on the other side of the wall with flowers and Sake bottles on display. The back half was bigger, with more color and lots of little toys on the wall. Or I probably say “action figures” to be respectful to those serious collectors…

It was rather simple interior and furniture, with modern design with making black and vibrant yellow colors throughout. I really liked the table with a hidden drawer on the side that held all the utensils. Nice way to keep the table open and allow more space for the food and drinks.

They had three main kinds of curry style: curry rice, curry noodle, and curry pasta. They also have lots of add-on items, and you can also get a set menu that comes with side dish(es) and drink(s). You can order from the curry menu, or you can customize the curry in many different ways. It had a good instruction on their menu. First, you select what kind of curry you want. Second, choose the level or spiciness. Third, choose the toppings. I went with Basic Curry Rice ($8.99), Level 2 spicy, and Cheese Pork Cutlet ($6.99) as my topping. And here is my Pork Cutlet Cheese Curry for $15.98.

Now, let me first talk about the spiciness. When I was trying to decide on the level of spiciness, it did come across my mind that this really is a Korean restaurant, and that their level of “spicy” is different from others… The level went from “Baby” to 1, 2, 3, and Spicy Guru. I thought choosing the one in the middle, which said “Level 2: Spicy” would be a good one, since I like spicy. But then again, this is a Korean restaurant…it might be much spicier than I am thinking…and guess what, I was right! My goodness it was REALLY spicy!!! It was way more spicy than I expected… My mouth and lips were on fire!

But, the crazy spiciness aside, it was really good. It tasted different from typical Japanese curry, but it was deep, velvety, creamy and flavorful. It came with a nice amount of rice, curry, and pork cutlet. It was interesting that the cheese was melted all over the cutlet, I don’t think I have ever had curry like this before.

And they were not kidding about their melty cheese, it was awesome! It cuddled the cutlet nicely, and gave me great cheese porn… It was a really tasty dish, we both enjoyed it very much. Just wished if we had ordered less spicy level… The garlic chips were a nice touch.

And it came with a miso soup and kimchi radish. The soup was ok, nothing special. The Kimchi radish was spicy! They looked spicy with the bright red, and it was as spicy as I thought it might be… I could not handle any more spicy flavor on top of the spicy curry…

They have a bathroom all the way in the back, clean and roomy. Only the things you need in there without clutter.

We had a nice dinner here, I liked their curry that was created with a mixture of Japanese and Korean flavors. I would like to go back again and try a different curry, with “Level 1: Medium Spicy” for sure… Who knows, I might not even be able to handle level 1??? I hope I don’t have to order the “Baby” level… Well, either way, for as long as I get to have a tasty meal, that is all that matters, no matter the level of spiciness. The staffs were polite and efficient. We had to ask for water a few times, but that was mainly because we were going through it real fast to calm down the heat in our mouth…LOL. You want to try some curry with a punch and fire, check this place out!

 

Abiko Curry – 2 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001