Entree Kibbles: Japanese Curry Express @ Fortune Centre [Singapore]

Whenever a good friend suggests a meetup, I don't reject. But when I heard it was Fortune Centre, I was a bit hesitant as I had been heading there for meals quite often in recent months and wondered if it was an dining establishment I already reviewed; i.e. Atas Turkish Kebab, Herbivore.

It was an eatery on the third floor of the ageing shopping centre; a level that I had yet to visit. However, the name of the restaurant made me hesitate again as I am not a fan of traditional Japanese curry and Japanese Curry Express sounded like a place I would have nothing to fancy.

And it appeared to be more like a neighborhood coffeeshop kind of setting with foldable tables and red plastic chairs; not really Japanese like. To be frank, I wasn't really expecting much from the food although given my age; I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Come, let's pen down what we want to eat! As you can see, the restaurant has more than just Japanese curry! Service was actually not bad; not your usual Japanese etiquette but more localized and closer to home.

Salmon Sashimi - my eyes almost popped out when I returned to my table after taking pictures of the signboard for Japanese Curry Express. I had never seen salmon sashimi being sliced so THICKLY.

Fresh with an unmatched satisfaction! Why didn't other Japanese restaurants do the same thing?! This portion may cost S$14 for 5 slices, yet the happiness I derived from eating each humongous piece is so worth it!

Chawanmushi Bowl - there's a reason why the dish had the word "bowl" added on the menu, because it wasn't your typical chawanmushi portion! This could easily feed two or three persons.

Texture wise, it wasn't as moist until you reach to the bottom of the bowl and as far as taste is concerned, there was a touch of spiciness and it's weird to have the aroma of sesame oil. To me, it was above average for typical steamed egg but didn't make the cut for chawanmushi.

Spider Maki - intention was to have ebi mango maki or ebi avocado maki but they had run out of mango and avocado; hence, we just choose the next one on the menu which was available.

Meat within was soft shell crabs; average tasting although I think it's weird to have spicy sauce and powder / flakes for Japanese maki. Spicy lovers might enjoy this better.

Chicken Katsu Curry Rice - it's funny to come to a restaurant with the word "curry" in its name and not having anything to do with curry. Therefore, despite not liking Japanese curry, I decided to go for pork katsu curry. It wasn't available for dinner so I had to make do with chicken katsu.

One reason why I didn't like Japanese curry is that they are usually too sweet. Not this one at Japanese Curry Express; the sweetness was manageable and the curry was aromatic with just a pinch of spiciness. Some reviewers said it tasted like daiso curry though! Chicken katsu was crusty with a moist, juicy middle. I wasn't disappointed, honestly.

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I couldn't forget the salmon sashimi and will be back very soon! Shall make it for lunch so that I can have a better chance for ebi mango maki or ebi avocado maki.

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