kinako-anko
I wonder when was the last time I had dinner alone at a restaurant, excluding when I was traveling~♪ After checking, I found out that it was about 1 year and 5 months ago when I tried to enjoy the long-awaited "gyoza" at a popular Chinese restaurant under the guard of Hankyu Osaka Umeda Station in July last year, but it was full and I ended up eating "Indian curry" instead. It seems like I have been cooking at home properly due to the pandemic, so I applaud the efforts of Kinko Shokudo. But today, I feel like eating out and having a hearty meal while drinking beer, so I chose a restaurant from my saved list on Tabelog, "Watanabe Curry Shinsaibashi Store". Three years ago, I went to "Watanabe Curry Umeda Main Store" alone and enjoyed the "spicy tonkatsu curry" with "pickled boiled egg" as a topping. I had also wanted to visit this Shinsaibashi store. I finished preparing my dog's food and taking him for a walk much earlier than usual, and then got off at Nagahoribashi Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line. I walked 800m through the underground shopping mall of Crysta Nagahori and the arcade of Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street to arrive just 10 minutes before the evening opening at 6:00 p.m. The door opened right at 6:00 p.m., and I took a seat at the leftmost counter seat. I ordered a craft beer, "Curry Lover Ale" for 850 yen, and a "Lamb Cutlet Curry" for 1750 yen, spicy, medium rice, with pickles topping for 150 yen, jalapenos for 150 yen. I had planned to have "Heartland" beer, but I was captivated by a craft beer developed for curry, even though it was 300 yen more expensive. The curry is available in medium-spicy or spicy options, and the rice can be chosen from large, medium, or small, so I ordered the lamb cutlet curry with spicy and medium rice. The lamb cutlet was deep-fried for 10 minutes after ordering, and then left to rest for 7 minutes to cook through. The sizzling sound was heard, and the dish was finally ready after 20 minutes of sitting down. I made a toast with the bottled "Curry Lover Ale" while smelling the spicy aroma of the lamb cutlet curry, and started eating (^o^)/The "Curry Lover Ale" is a craft beer developed by Usami Brewery in eastern Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, for curry lovers. It was created considering the compatibility of malt sweetness with curry spices, and it had a mellow and fruity taste with a hint of caramel aroma that went well with the curry. The "Lamb Cutlet Curry" was served on a large white plate with the restaurant's name in English, and it consisted of a curry sauce made with sea bream and chicken broth, Sri Lankan spices, topped with red cabbage, sauerkraut, tomato chutney, and cilantro. The yellow turmeric rice was topped with additional pickles and jalapenos, and next to it sat two lamb cutlets, coated with a blend of original spices and powdered cheese, cut in half for easy eating. It looked very appetizing! I started by picking up the lamb cutlet bone with my left hand and taking a bite, while holding the beer glass in my right hand and enjoying it. The lamb cutlet was tender, juicy, and delicious without any gaminess. The spicy and watery curry had a kick to it as I had requested it to be spicy, and the jalapenos added an extra spicy kick, which was a great choice. Adding pickles also worked well as a palate cleanser. I was able to finish even with a large portion of rice. Even after finishing my meal, I was the only customer the whole time. It seems like it's not busy in the evenings in these times. Bon appétit (●^o^●)