Nobody knew the Japanese made anything other than sushi. These Abiko Curry guys are on to something!
— TrumptheFoodie (@TrumptheFoodie)
Most people associate curry with Indian cuisine, but curry is as much a staple of Japanese food as ramen and sushi. The Brits introduced curry to Japan during the colonization of India by the British Raj, and because this new dish came from the West, the Japanese called curry “western cuisine.” Over the years it has been changed and adapted for Japanese tastes so much that Japanese curry is pretty distinctive from South Asian curry. The taste can be described as being sweeter, lighter and milder than most Indian curry, which has much more variation depending on the type (saag, tikka masala, vindaloo, etc.)
Sitting in the heart of the block long stretch of Manhattan’s Koreatown, Abiko Curry’s straight forward, no nonsense menu is part of its allure. You pick a base of either rice or noodles, a protein, and one of four levels of spice you want your curry, with “Baby spice” being the mildest. They recommend the second tier of spice for most people, and they’re not kidding around– even with my high tolerance for spicy food, tier 2 spice had me sweating and reaching for several glasses of water. I can’t imagine what level 4 would be like.
I like my restaurant menus to be like my intelligence briefings: short, 2 or 3 clearly explained options and plenty of pictures.
The components of a good Japanese curry involve a nice balance of sweetness and saltiness that hits you first, followed by a spicy kick that creeps up slowly until it envelops your whole mouth. It should taste of something beyond cumin–the primary spice in curry powder– and with Japanese curry the consistency should be on the thinner side. Abiko nails it on every count. A tangle of udon noodles with just the right amount of give was the perfect base to soak up all the flavor of the broth, which was laced with scallions and crispy tofu for extra texture. A small dish of pickled radish, cold and tangy is provided on the side to cleanse the palette in between bites, so you can hit refresh before your next taste.
Next time Shinzo comes by Mar a Lago I’ll make sure we have some curry ready for him. Who knew Japanese food could be anything other than gross fish??
Of course curry dominates the menu here, but Abiko also embraces other Japanese fare like this chicken donburi bowl. While this was a safe option to order, the execution of it was perfect. Breaded pieces of chicken are fried to a crisp and served over a bed of the softest, stickiest Japanese rice flavored with a hint of rice vinegar. A healthy drizzle of mayo is zig zagged all over the meat, contributing a cold creaminess to the hot and crispy chicken. The breading is salty and spiked with black pepper, adding a satisfying depth of flavor that exceeded my expectations of standard fried chicken.
Over generalizations of what curry is seem to deter a lot of Americans from opting for it as an everyday meal, but those in the know will understand that curry can be a relatively light meal. Just note that unless you want to cause yourself some suffering that will last long after your meal, stick to level 2 spice. You’ll thank me later.
The owners of this place were so honored by my visit that they actually named a new menu item after me! Chicken Donaldburi: larger-than-average chicken fingers dusted in gold panko breading over a bed of tremendous white rice and a bigly side of borscht.
Abiko Curry is located at 2 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
TrumptheFoodie 