Umami Tokyo Curry is Tempe’s new place for Japanese street meals, curry
3 min read
Right after being laid off from his job as a chef at the Chicago Japanese cafe Kamehachi for the duration of the pandemic, Nobu Kobayashi set his sights on a new venture in Arizona.
Kobayashi has used most of his 30-in addition-calendar year profession as a freelance chef, traveling the globe and cooking Japanese food stuff employing common tactics he uncovered in his native Tokyo. He was intended to transfer to Arizona to start a new Japanese restaurant in Prescott, but it failed to operate out.
When that fell by means of, he improved gears and opened his possess store: Umami Tokyo Curry in Tempe.
What is actually on the menu at Umami Tokyo Curry?
Road food is distinctive than what he ordinarily has cooked in dining establishments in the earlier, Kobayashi stated. He is trained in kaiseki, a standard Japanese established training course food primarily based on seasonal components.
But with times “not like in advance of” due to the fact of COVID, he preferred to established up a choose-up and shipping and delivery-only operation. Umami Tokyo Curry opened in September and serves Japanese curry and avenue food out of a cloud kitchen in Tempe.
“Not only sushi and not only teriyaki is Japanese,” Kobayashi mentioned about why he chose this concept for his 1st Arizona cafe.
Kobayashi mentioned he preferred to discover an place with young folks to take a look at out his quick relaxed restaurant idea, so he considered Tempe’s college community would be the excellent spot.
The Umami Tokyo Curry menu is smaller and targeted. Kobayashi serves his produced-from-scratch curry, featuring soy sauce and bonito flakes, with a choice of meat — options include fried pork cutlet, slim-slice beef or sausage. Each curry also arrives with a serving of rice and Japanese pickled veggies on the aspect.
In addition to the curry, diners can order road food bites this kind of as shumai and takoyaki, or fried octopus balls. There are also a number of salads and seaweed soup on the menu.
Additional:We experimented with 8 varieties of Japanese curry bricks. This is what we recommending using at dwelling
Why you should not skip the ebi curry
This to-go only operation deals its curry dishes in distinctive containers that hold the sauce different from the rice and meat so it won’t get soggy in transit.
If you reside within just the supply area, you can place an order on Uber Eats, GrubHub, Postmates or Doordash. If delivery is not an alternative, it can be rapid and simple to choose up your possess foodstuff at the Tempe cloud kitchen area facility if you area an get for pickup on a person of the apps.
The takoyaki starter is abundant and creamy, topped with a sweet brown sauce, Japanese mayo and fishy bonito flakes, which are smoked, dried and fermented flakes of tuna. The fried balls contain one particular piece of tender octopus surrounded by pillowy batter. If you’ve got by no means experienced it right before, this edition of the Japan street food stuff preferred is a stable introduction, stirring up reminiscences of the versions I have eaten at summer time road festivals in Tokyo.
The most important function, of class, is the curry. And the restaurant’s name is not bogus promoting: there is surely umami at play in this mildly spicy curry. For these accustomed to producing Japanese curry at home with shop-purchased curry bricks, Kobayashi’s version very likely gives a far more sturdy seafood taste from the addition of bonito flakes and kombu kelp.
The fried ebi, or tempura shrimp, have a mild, crunchy panko coating that stands up perfectly to the sauce. All round, the dish will make an excellent Japanese lunch or dinner take care of for people searching to indulge in a curry craving or test it out for the first time.
Umami Tokyo Curry
Exactly where: 1900 E. 5th Road, Tempe.
Offerings: Supply and decide-up for lunch and evening meal.
Rate: Takoyaki $8.50 ebi curry $15.50.
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday via Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Particulars: 773-901-5393, umamitokyocurry.com.
Achieve the reporter at [email protected] Observe her on Twitter and Instagram @DrShaena.
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