A local Western restaurant. Homemade minced meat cutlets and curry.

Takadanobaba. A Western restaurant located a little way back from the shopping district.

It’s a small shop with a Showa-era atmosphere.

The counter is white, and it’s bright and clean. But it has a family-like feel, run by a married couple.

It feels more like a Western-style diner than a Western restaurant. And it has a Showa-era feel to it.

That’s no surprise, as it was founded in 1969. It’s a long-established establishment.

Well, today’s target is…

Curry rice, of course! And the topping is… minced meat cutlet!!

I’ll go with minced meat cutlet curry.

It arrives topped with a soft-boiled egg! The minced meat cutlet might be a little on the large side!

The salad is shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and onion.

The soup is an onion consommé.

First up, the soup… Hmm?! It’s rich! It’s so thick you can’t even taste the sweetness of the onion.

I then go straight for the curry.

Hmm?! Sweet?! The spiciness comes later. And this one is also rich! It’s thick and has a “homemade curry” feel, but it’s rich and the sweetness hits you first. I’d say it’s medium spicy. The richness is typical of curry, and somehow it’s quite comforting.

Next, I eat the minced meat cutlet on its own.

I pour the sauce over it… It’s just as meaty as I expected, and it’s big and thick enough. It pairs perfectly with the sauce.

Now it’s time to try the curry and rice.

Yep, it’s delicious. The richness of the curry is the perfect companion to rice. Sweet, spicy, and rich curry. It’s the perfect combination with rice. A comforting flavor.

Next, I cut up the minced meat cutlet with a spoon and ate it with the curry rice.

…the crisp texture of the batter, the soft texture of the minced meat, the rich curry, and the white rice…this combination might just be perfect! At this rate, I feel like I could eat three plates lol. Even though I ordered a large portion of rice, I still could have eaten more.

I had a mini salad as a palate cleanser. The refreshing sesame dressing resets my mouth.

The consommé soup seemed strong at first, but after sipping it between meals of curry, it didn’t seem so bad.

After all, why do people perceive something as delicious when their taste meter is in the strong quadrant? It’s a mystery.

It was a rich and delicious curry. Next time, I’d like to try different toppings, such as hamburger steaks and croquettes.