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| - I haven't been to a Japanese style curry house since leaving Japan. My tummy was excited to try Kaba Curry for the first time. I was anticipating a rich, thick and silken curry loaded with vegetables and beef like I had in Japan or even a delicious version of the curry my Japanese mom and I make at home using S&B House Golden and Vermont Curry roux bars. The owner is Japanese so I had high expectations.
Sadly, my expectations were way to high. I really wanted to like it and support this establishment. The portions were skimpy. The three kiddy scoops of rice in a shallow pool of gravy with a poor version of chicken karaage wasn't what I was hoping for. The gravy had an odd "tonkastu sauce" taste and the consistency of pureed vegetables in the gravy made it like runny baby food. I ordered the basic curry with chicken karaage and fukujinzuke for $7.49, $.61 tax and $1.00 tip my bill was $9.10. Not a vallue at all. If the food is excellent, I don't mind paying more even if the portion is small. However, I won't return if the quality, taste, value and portion size is poor.
Not only did the food fall short.
I used a debit card and they ran it through a card reader attached to an IPAD. That was fine. I thought however, it was rather forward to ask for customers to click on the following buttons to leave a tip. $1.00, $2.00, $3.00 or "No Thanks". Why ask a customer to leave a tip before they have eaten your food? This was my first visit. I felt I was put on the spot to tip. I was hopeful I was going to have an excellent experience so a added a $1, but that was with reservation because I really wasn't sure if it was deserving if I hadn't eaten yet. A tip, in my opinion, is for a job well done. I am rather annoyed with how businesses have abused tipping. Tipping has become an expectation and not something that the person wanting the tip should be striving to obtain. Take the humble and tasteful approach- have a tip jar on the counter.
There is no competition in this town for Japanese curry rice. I was hoping it was going to pack a punch and have me craving for more. It's a shame because the owner and worker were friendly. I wish them all the best!
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