A Japanese Curry Journey - From Americanized to Wonderful - Champion's Curry, Curryfornia, Akane Chaya, Kagura, Sagami, Daichan and Tanakaya, Foo Foo Tei, Midoh (Bonus: Pearl River Deli and Gjelina?!) [Thoughts + Pics]

36 posts were split to a new topic: Epic Japanese curry digression

Bless you… B/c I am NEVER anywhere near Midoh, but the pics look FANTASTIC.

@Chowseeker1999 next time at Midoh try the hamburg steak. That is one of their specialties. Midoh is a gem.

If you are deep in the OC keep Yoko on Beach Blvd on your list. They are a Korean-Japanese place focusing on tonkatsu and soba/udon. That’s basically the whole menu. They bring out the sesame seeds for you to pound out as well.

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I been going to/know of Diamond Plaza for years and never thought once to go there! It’s just when I am thinking of Japanese food I am thinking of South Bay, Sawtelle, Little Tokyo, Ventura Blvd, Costa Mesa/Tustin

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I don’t want to make you blush @Dommy, but the breadth of your food knowledge is pretty awesome. You take great advantage of living in this great food city. I always learn something. Thanks!

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Going off topic, ever tried OoToro in Walnut? 480.8+ content Yelpers

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I haven’t been there but you know what the crazy thing is? I have friend that prefers that place over Mori and she had been to both. :rofl:

I can’t vouch for her taste though!

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I’ve actually heard really good things about Ootoro from friends - as in high quality fish selection and preparation and not “OMG, they used both eel sauce and sriracha on my California roll!! So innovative!!”. A place to try in 2021.

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Thanks for the heads up. We’ll take any good sushi recommendations near North OC.

@Chowseeker1999 @JLee

I think I’ve gone off topic long enough here! So I’ll check myself out. Thanks for the discussion by the way!

Have you had Noguchi?

In OC though Sushi ii is on my to do list. I always wanted to do the full omakase at Shibucho.

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Noguchi is our favorite in North OC. The only other ones we go to in the area are Ohshima and OMG.

Costa Mesa/Newport/Irvine have a lot of better sushi options but driving there is almost the same amount of time as driving to DTLA. Guess which option we usually choose?

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Looks like you are in for a treat when Kaneyoshi opens fully in Little Tokyo.

Well after a nice sushi dinner in Costa Mesa the beach is close by for a nighttime walk. Laguna is not too far away. That’s a bonus for me as a single guy!

The Sushi Temples seem to be all near the Westside

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Glad you enjoyed Midoh! It truly is a gem for Yoshoku style cuisine. I love the chili paste they give you to make the curry spicier. Also do not miss the hamburg w/ cheese curry, the hamburg is so soft and flavorful. Thanks for info on the katsu-sando, it has eluded me thus far.

And yes, that gyu-tan is so luscious with that rich demi glacé.

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20-08-27 Straight Outta

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Thanks for keepin’ it so real with us here on FTC, chef. I for one really appreciate that.

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@JLee @J_L save this energy for our recording…

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I need that shirt lol! I lived in Kanagawa prefecture nice

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Kagura (Gardena)
Inside the Tokyo Central Market food court is the Kagura stand…and the only location doing katsu. I had read that the Torrance location was not doing katsu takeout…just their other menu items.
After reading @Chowseeker1999’s epic curry/katsu post, I noticed that Kagura hadn’t been included in the update. And I was in the neighborhood for some shopping anyway.
The katsu curry set comes with miso soup. The katsu is bento-boxed on top of rice with compartments for finely shredded cabbage, miso-ginger dressing, pickles, and hot mustard. The curry and soup are in separate containers. I knew this was going to have to be eaten in the car, so I immediately opened the box as soon as I was back in the car.
The katsu was still so crispy and crunchy! I poured the curry on top of a quarter of the katsu to keep things crispy. The curry was rich and tasty. I don’t know if they make the curry themselves, but I thought it was balanced…not too garam Masala-y. It was nice to have the salad and pickles to add acidity and a different kind of crunch in between bites.
It was warm so I saved the miso soup for later. It’s the same miso soup they serve at the restaurant. It’s not to salty or too miso-y and I love all the seaweed pieces in it.
I think this is a worthwhile katsu curry set. So hop on by if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

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I had that for dinner last night, unfortunately it suffers when eating it after an hour or so. But it was still a delicious dinner

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