From authentic Indian flavors to high-level curry! The best curry that will be a buzzword in 2025 (Nagoya and Osaka)
Carefully selected by Hiroaki Matsu, a.k.a. "Curry Cell," who has eaten at 4,000 restaurants!
Lamb chop cutlet cut in half on rice!
Hiroaki Matsu, whose handle is “Curry Cell” and who has eaten at more than 4,000 restaurants, is a well-known name among curry freaks. This time, FRIDAY’s curry editor Son visited Mr. Matsu and asked him to name the supreme curry that “will be the talk of the town” in the near future. Here are some of them.
Click here for the Tokyo edition→” The best curry that will be a buzzword in 2025! This year’s curry trends are biryani and curry with pork cutlet [Tokyo Edition].
According to Mr. Matsu, “Nagoya’s curry scene has changed dramatically over the past few years.
As you all know, Nagoya is a conservative area with few sharp restaurants, but now it has undergone such a transformation that even enthusiasts are struggling to keep up. The one I have my eye on is HOTEL AUTHENTIC (Hotel Authentic, Showa Ward, Nagoya City). They are very particular about everything from the spices to the interior design, and they serve authentic Indian curry without the slightest compromise. Moreover, they regularly change the theme and offer the best dishes from various parts of India. The abundance of variations is also an attraction.
TOO MUCH INDIA (Nishi-ku, Nagoya City) is also interesting. The general image of curry is that the roux is thick and rich. However, the South Indian curry served at Two Match India is made with coconut milk, yogurt, and other ingredients, making it smooth and healthy. It is so good that you can have it for breakfast, and in fact, you can eat it in the morning, but reservations are a must because there are only five seats available and the competition is extremely fierce.
While some restaurants pursue the authentic taste of India, others are unique in that they emphasize the local flavor of Nagoya.
Zenzaemon Curry (located in Naka Ward, Nagoya City) is based on the concept of “What if Zenzaemon, the ancestor of the current owner, had met curry 400 years ago? That is the concept of the restaurant. The restaurant offers unique curry dishes that make use of Nagoya’s famous cuisine. It looks like “Taiwanese ramen,” a Nagoya specialty. There is an egg yolk in the middle of the plate and green onions scattered around it. …… There are Nagoya Cochin wings and keema on top. And under that is yam! That alone is interesting, but it also comes with soup, which you can add to change the flavor. It is just like Nagoya’s specialty, Hitsumabushi. It is a gem filled with local charm.”
Moving further west from Nagoya, let’s take a look at curry in Osaka. The characteristic, says Matsu, is that “there is an unusually high fever for curry with pork cutlets.
Osaka’s cutlet curry is interesting,” he says. Shankaradoh (Kita-ku, Osaka City) has a lamb chop cutlet cut in half on a bed of rice! The curry is made with sea bream broth and chicken broth. The curry is a combination of sea bream broth, chicken broth, and coconut milk, and it goes well with the cutlet. The Motivation Shop (Kita-ku, Osaka City) also makes a big impact. The chef is a woman who loves pork cutlet and has even created a book of cutlet curry under the name “Made in Alisa,” and she offers a punchy menu that includes curry with Ezo deer cutlet. The roux is based on a traditional Western-style curry, a rich, European-style curry.
Ekasuk (Fukushima-ku, Osaka) is more aptly described as an izakaya or bistro than a curry shop. It is more like a “gourmet salon for the masses” that offers various arrangements of spiced curry dishes as snacks at reasonable prices. It has attracted a lot of attention in the curry industry, and many of my colleagues come here for a drink.
Speaking of “popular gastronomy,” Dara Kure (Abeno Ward, Osaka City), which offers “popular gastronomy,” is also well known in the curry community. The chef is a famous chef named “Fallen Angel Kakki,” who was featured on TV when he was traveling around Japan opening restaurants. He offers an unusual curry using ingredients such as chicken guts and sea bream soup stock. Fans come from all over the country to enjoy his high-level curry, which is a complex blend of flavors.
These are just a few of the restaurants introduced here. The table above lists some of Matsu’s favorites, so be sure to visit one before the buzz creates a long line of customers.
From the February 21-28, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY
PHOTO： Courtesy of Hiroaki Matsu (Curry)
