Tokyo Curry Espresso

Profile

Address:   台北市忠孝東路五段8號
                 No. 8, Section 5, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Sinyi District
Phone #:  

Website:
Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: no

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4 out of 5

Decor:  3.5 out of 5

Service: 3 out of 5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Recommendation: Flavorful Curry at "Cafe"teria-esque Restaurant.

Review

At the Hankyu Department store foodcourt, there is a cafe looking restaurant called Tokyo Curry Espresso. I am not sure why they don't just call themselves Tokyo Curry, since most people don't seem to be there for the coffee. They serve a basic beef curry or chicken curry for around 110 NT, and you can add side items for around 50 NT or toppings for 10 NT. They have a wide assortment of drinks available from sodas to beer. This is a nice spot for a quick curry meal.

The host seats you at the available table for your party and then you will need to get up and order at the counter. They then give you a buzzer to alert you when the food is ready for you to pick it up. I felt that to be a bit tacky and not very restaurant-like. That's why beside their busy scurrying and smiling, they don't get a very good service rating. Their decor is very cafe-esque. The tables are small and crowded, and it is cafeteria-like because you order at the table, get buzzed for food, and then you take these cafeteria trays full of food back to your table.

The seating is not bad, just seems cramped between 2 person tables. The curry rice was not half bad.

The curry is not like most of the curry I tried in Japan. This was more stew-like and browner than Japanese darker colored curries. Also, there seems to be more particles in this curry than the uniform curries I remember from a few trips to tokyo. Also, they didn't have all the awesome toppings like pineapple chunks, almond slices, and random pickled vegetables that Japanese curry restaurants should offer. So they are not really that authentic, but they serve a good dish of curry in their own rite. The rice seems to be cooked with chicken stock or something (or curry powder?), because it was very pilaf-ish. It carried its own flavor that mixed well with the curry. I added raisins to give a little sweetness to the mix. The beef was tender melty and infused with curry.

I also tried the potato salad side. It was probably made with some maynoise, vinegar, tomatoes, and some curry powder. I do not recommend getting this because it is not creamy enough for a potato salad. It is more like a potato chunks seasoned with a light sauce of creamy curry. Try the salad for your vegetables needs.
Yet for a 120 NT meal, this is not a bad option for this food court. Plus, you can get a more private seating instead of cramming into the mass food court seating area.