Curry Rice @ Currytiner, Ropponmatsu, Fukuoka

With a cold climate now looming, there is nothing better in warming your body, and to some extent, your soul with a good helping of curry. And fortunately for me, Fukuoka actually has a good array of spicy hotspots to try. Some people suspect it is due to it being close to China and Korea, which impacted the local's appetite for chillies. But I digress as the place that I found was more closely inspired by Indian cuisine. 

A peek inside

With the name Currytiner, it leaves little to the imagination on what it specialises in. So if you are looking for noodles, probably it will be better to look elsewhere. Having said that, if you are up for something spicy then you are at the right spot. It is a quaint and cosy establishment with a minimalistic approach to the decor. 

Minimalist

The menu itself was also relatively simple, where you are given the choice of 5 different curries and you can have a one on its own or a combination plate of a maximum of 3. Since it was lunch time, I only ordered one being the pork vindaloo which stood at 1100 yen. 

Taste the rainbow!

Despite the simple decor, the meal itself was very elaborate as my plate was just bursting various colours.  With a variety of pickles, salads and a side portion of dhall, my meal was nothing short of a rainbow. The mountain of white basmati rice in the center was the literal icing of the cake, as it provided a snow-like image towards the entire plate. And to think this was just 1100 yen is such a steal. 

Literal gravy train

The pork vindaloo was pretty tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed chowing down on it. It was fairly spicy but was surprising fruity. There was a strong hint of sultanas and the sweet and sour profile was something that seems more akin to Thai food. However, this worked very well. And combining it with the rice was just sublime. Being basmati, this felt like such a premium compared to the regular short grain rice you get locally. 

Sleeper hit.

The side of dhall that came was also quite delicious too. It was smooth and nutty with a nice hint of turmeric and garlic. The creamy texture also allowed it to hold onto the rice like glue thus covering every grain with so much flavour. It has a milder profile than the vindaloo. But it was still great and provided some contrast to the more intense pork curry. One thing to note is that the rice is also not just plain rice, but rather a flavoured pilaf. This makes this even more special. It was nutty and earthy but still light at the same time. I am not sure what spices were placed inside, but it was pretty enjoyable. 

Coup de grace

To finish it all off was a shot of mango puree. This was particularly refreshing and helped cleanse the palate after such a flavourful meal. And with that, my lunch affair has come to a close and left really satisfied. Despite all the various elements, the whole plate worked out harmoniously. 

Front of the house. 

In addition to the pork vindaloo, there are also other curries to try such as the south Indian chicken curry, shrimp curry, mutton masala and even horse masala! I believe a revisit will happen soon enough as I really want to try all of them. So if you would like to try the other curries before I do, or you would like to sample the vindaloo first hand then the address is as follows:

〒810-0044 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Ropponmatsu, 4 Chome−1−1 井山ビル 102