Restaurant Review: Entertainer Curry Kitchen (Akasaka)

After emerging from exit two of Akasaka station (Chiyoda line), hit this curry restaurant that is in the building just to the left (underneath Lotteria) for a decent bowl of Japanese curry.

There’s enough space in this shop to bring friends, but the counter facing the kitchen is ideal for people dining alone. It’s worth taking your time to work your way through both of the menus because if you don’t you might miss something. And to my mind there are at least half a dozen main dishes on the menu worth trying. The beauty of this place is that there are lots of options–way more than you normally get in a curry shop.

Basically, the menu can be divided into three main sections: regular curry dishes; specialty curry dishes; and their popular–and spicy–curry nabe (hotpot).

The last time I was there, I went with the chicken curry from the regular menu (pictured above). Moderate spice with very juicy chunks of chicken and a decent load of onions for 650 yen. They also have a kid’s curry (in a heart-shaped bowl) and vegetarian curry for the same price. The regular curry menu starts at 500 and tops out at 880 yen for the “jumbo fried shrimp curry”. Additional toppings are available for between 50 and 100 yen. Side dishes, such as a potato and bacon salad, kimchi, and chicken wings, are all priced in the 250-850 yen range.

And then there’s the specialty menu. The dishes in this section are all being pushed by a different celebrity. K1 fighter, Musashi, wants you to try his spicy curry, which ranks four out of five on their in-house scale, that features a beef steak perched on top (1,020 yen). Or you could try the relatively mild chicken and onion curry endorsed by actress Chisato Morishita (850 yen). There are a few others, and it’s possible to do a half-and-half meal with two of the celebrity selections for an additional 100 yen.

Also, keep in mind that you can get half portions of the specialty curries for 500 yen. For whatever reason, this information is only listed in the drinks menu.

Then there’s the curry nabe which looks very, very Korean in its presentation and starts at 950 yen per person. There’s some fire involved, and you can choose your own adventure on the aforementioned five-tiered spiciness scale. Those who like spiciness should be fine with a level three or four.

Several set options are available with the curry nabe. The simplest of these involve adding some kind of noodle or rice to the leftover spicy soup when you’re done with what was floating in it. A plain white rice set is 200 yen while cheese risotto will be an additional 500 yen per person. Or you can go a bit bigger and ask for one of the two multi-course sets that are available. They both set you up with a couple of different celebrity curries, a side dish or two, the curry nabe, and dessert. The two versions of this set are priced at 1,980 and 2,480 yen per person, respectively.

But this is the type of curry shop that also wants you to stay and drink. You can add a 90-minute nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) option to the two most expensive curry nabe sets for an additional 1,500 yen per person. The nomihoudai is actually advertised as being two hours in length, but they pull a ‘last call’ routine at the hour and a half mark.

If you’re just ordering by the drink, then there are a few options available. Draft beer (regular Malt’s) is 480 yen while a bottle (Premium Malt’s) is 600. Whiskey highballs (Kakubin) are 390, and Cassis and Dita cocktails are 550. Wine is 500 yen per glass and soft drinks are 400. They have two umeshu available for less than 600 yen, and you can get potato or barley shochu for less than five. Sours are 450, and a bottle of Korean soju (they don’t sell it by the glass) will set you back 1,280 yen.

The curry and the flexibility of the menu make this place worth a look. It’s also one of the cheaper places to eat in the area immediately surrounding the TBS building in Akasaka and located right next to exit two. They apparently have a sister shop in Shibuya.

Cost per person: 1,000 to 4,000 yen

GuruNavi page: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a223300/ (includes a map and partial menu)

Directions: From exit two of Akasaka station turn left and walk about 10 meters up the sidewalk. Entertainer Curry Kitchen is in the basement of the first building on the left (Lotteria on first floor).