Curry Favor

I have to say that, despite my love of Japanese food, which I’ve crowed about here ad nauseam, I’ve never really been very fond of Japanese curry dishes.

Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up on a steady diet of the “localised” version of curry with dishes like curry fishhead, laksa, curry chicken etc., but I could never see the appeal of the thick, stew-like Nipponese curry style.

Surprisingly, though, when my friend recommended we try out this Japanese curry restaurant at Stanford House, Curry Favor (which is, admittedly, a cute wordplay pun of a shop name), I had a pretty good dining experience.

Ok, so I cheated and had a teriyaki chicken rice with scrambled eggs. But, I did try some of my other friends’ orders, which include the restaurant’s signature curry beef rice, so I can actually say that the curry was pretty delicious.

While (justifiably) different-tasting from the usual local curry fare, the curry was packed with flavour and, while thick (which is apparently how it’s supposed to be, due to the vegetables being used), the texture complemented both the soft rice and the chewy beef cubes. The ingredients used were pretty high standard and, while dishes like these tend to be on the heavy side, it didn’t leave any of us feeling bloated.

I have no idea what real authentic Japanese curry tastes like but, if this isn’t it, it’s at least much closer to it than any of the usual dawdry fare that the food court Japanese stalls or the conveyor-belt Jap restaurants serves up.

My teriyaki chicken rice was great too. While the eggs were a little tasteless and not the best complement to the meat, the teriyaki sauce was tasty without being overly salty and the rice was mouth-wateringly fluffy. While this dish was a little heavy on the stomach, it was nonetheless a satisfactory bite.

My friends and I also shared a cheese bites side dish, made of battered flour rings containing oozing cheese. While not the best fried dish ever, it was pretty tasty and the cheese wasn’t overpowering or overwhelming like it has a tendency to be.

While the prices there might be a tad more than people might be willing to fork out for Japanese curry during these financially-strapped times (each of us spent close to $20, including service charge and GST), but the good quality of the dishes make up for it.

Plus, the service was pretty good too. The staff were friendly and vigilant.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Curry Favor can be found at 39 Stamford Road, #01-08/09 Stamford House (opening hours: Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun: 12pm-10pm, Thu-Fri: 12pm-11pm) or at #03-26/27 Velocity @ Novena Square (opening hours: 12pm - 10pm daily).