If you don’t eat Indian food, or let me rephrase, if you are afraid of eating Indian food because you stay away from the word “curry,” I have some news for you. Sure it has a distinct smell that can throw people off but most likely people just haven’t tried it or know how to. Also, curry is found in Asian cuisine and tastes completely different from each region. Thai curry and Japanese curry and Indian curry are nowhere near the same. So now that you are blown away by this tidbit, Curry Ya in the East Village is a cute little shop with counter seating only. This gives you a chance to talk with the staff, and hey, find out that some of them are even hip hop back up dancers. It’s also interesting to watch them make the rice and all the different machines they play with back there. The food comes out fast, and if you are dining solo, you’ll fit right in and have people to converse with.
Seafood Curry
The Japanese curry sauce served here is made from chicken and oxtail soup, vegetables, fruits and special spices. It’s then stewed for eight hours which creates a rich flavor. Rich is an understatement here – that’s for sure. Your order comes with a pot of heavy curry that has a reddish hue. It’s thick, and the flavor is intense. However, intense here isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You just might need to ease into it for the first time instead of dousing your plate, and it will grow on you. I tried the Seafood Curry that came with scallops, shrimp, squid and veggies. Actually the staff told me it wasn’t her favorite, but I was glad I got it. My friend got the more popular Berkshire Pork Katsu Curry (oh and by the way they have the word “popular” next to some of the dishes on the menu which is cute and made me chuckle a tad). The pork is basically like a fried chicken cutlet. Pour the curry over it and mix it with the rice and there you have a full meal in your tummy. The quality of the pork and seafood are great. I just think you have to be in the mood for something this rich that consists of mostly sauce. Definitely add the additional vegetables as a topping to get more to our choice of curry. Other options include Pan-Fried Chicken, Deep Fried Chicken, Hamburger Steak Curry, etc.
The Baked Curry dish is also raved about which is an organic baked egg over a bed of rice and topped with melted cheddar cheese. Curry Ya is cash only. While it’s not something I’d run back to in a hurry, I’m really glad I tried it and I’d recommend you test it out for your own experience.
Pork Curry before sauce