Green Keema Curry @ 33 Cafe Green, Hakata, Fukuoka

 

Contrary to what the title might say, this is not a fusion between Thai and India cuisine. Rather, it is an interesting health take to the common Indian staple that you can find in most Indian shops in Japan. Is it authentic? Probably not. It is still something worth trying though! 

Fancy

33 Cafe Green is a health food cafe located in the center of Hakata City, and in fact, just a 10 minute walk from my house. I have passed by this place many times throughout the years, but have yet set foot into it. So I thought it would be a good idea to give it a try. Most of the food has a "green" theme to it. More specifically, "aojiru". Although it translates as "blue liquid", sometimes the kanji for green and blue are interchangeable depending on circumstances. 

Lunch is ready

This green liquid is the base of many of the dishes here. Consisting of barley grass, kale and other dark green leaves, dishes and drinks are either spiked with the health potion or mixed alongside other ingredients. Keen to try this out during a very hungry lunch period, I decided to get the keema curry and also a side of the actual aojiru drink. The curry stood at 890 yen while the drink was 350 yen, leading to a total of 1240 yen. 

This was actually kinda tasty. 

The curry itself was pretty decent. The spices were on full display and was pretty full-bodied. It was not too spicy, probably to cater to local needs. it has little bits of meat and spinach which rounds out the dish. The rice on the other hand, had an interesting green hue as it was cooked with the aojiru. It did not lend itself any flavours, and did not impact my enjoyment of the keema curry. Having said that, this curry was somewhat decent and I actually liked it when it is combined with a bit of the pickles that was served alongside this dish. Not too bad for what I paid. 

I guess they really take green stuff seriously!

The green tonic that came alongside it was very different. With just one sip and you can really feel like you are having something healthy. Is it tasty? Probably not. The scent of grass was very intense with this one. And if you are someone that doesn't like veggies, then this is not for you. I did get the chilled one with ice, which made it quite refreshing. Speaking of which, you can have it with lemon or made into a latter. There are also ice cream with aojiru in it. But that is more like having kids to eat their veggies by blending down spinach into their bolognaise. But I digress. 

Front of the house. 

Overall, this is a decent cafe and I might pop by from time to time. I know the above made it sound like it is a knock on this place. But honestly, I sort of enjoyed it. I like the concept and the curry was quite good. I would not take the extra mile just to get her. But as it is close to my house and workspace, I might come over once in a while especially if I feel like I need some deep cleansing food wise. The place looks very nice though and is a perfect date stop. The coffee looked great and might try it some time in the future.

Fancy a go? Then the address is as follows:

〒812-0013 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Hakataekihigashi, 3 Chome−5−15 アサヒ緑健 ビル １F