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| - Rating: 3.5 stars.
Decent and very affordable take on katsu curry ($8) with incredibly friendly service in a deserted basement food court. Avoid the inauthentic char kway teow, which also doesn't have much flavour or wok hay.
Food: The tonkatsu was crispy and juicier than expected for a thinner cut. Surprisingly, it remained crispy for a very long time. The sauce was smooth and nicely spiced, but I had to adjust my expectations as Japanese-style curry typically has potato, onion, carrot in it. It's definitely not from a block of curry roux, which is rare in Toronto. There was not enough sauce for the rice and tonkatsu, so the lack of sauce felt stingy. (Extra sauce is available for $2.) The rice was long-grain (not the sticky medium-grain typical for Japanese-style curry), but of a lower-quality than expected. The coleslaw that accompanied the katsu curry was drenched in mayonnaise dressing. Overall, it's a decent katsu curry, but the little things detract from the delicious sauce.
The less said about the sad char kway teow the better. It had bell peppers. It didn't seem to have any soy sauce, light or dark, seasoning. Stick to the curries.
Service: The owner is such a nice man. Really refreshing to get such nice service and to see care put into the service of customers.
Ambiance: it's in a deserted basement food court where most of the stores in the mall are unoccupied/available for rent and the same goes for the stalls. Get it to go.
They also sell homemade kaya jam for $5/jar, which I sampled. It very eggy, but could be a bit smoother. Regardless, it's great to see a source for kaya jam in Toronto.
I would go again, request extra sauce and definitely try some of the other curries and purchase a jar of kaya jam. The price is also fantastic when you consider that you get a filling amount of food for less than $10 (even after tax).
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