Tuesday 14 February 2017

Japanese Curry Nice Ah?


Update : Hokano has closed down.

One weekend my brother and I went for lunch. I thought of taking him to Rakuzen (which we have never been) at The Starling but my brother wanted to have his Sashimi Bento fix at Hokano@Uptown Damansara.

Hokano is our favorite Uptown neighborhood haunt for affordable Japanese food. It's a small place and service is friendly in the form of the lady boss herself.

It's always great to be served by the boss because the boss will always ensure that you are happy so that you come back again and again hee..hee... Well it sure works because Hokano 1, Rakuzen 0.

Anyway, my brother's mind was already made up, so Sahsimi Bento it was.


This is a value for money bento because you have so many things in the box and it really fills you up. 


Besides the goodies in the bento, it also comes with a chawan mushi, a piece of tofu and salad.


Oh, there's also miso soup.


See how loaded the Sashimi Bento is? I used to have it most of the time when I visit Hokano but of late, I find it too much for me. My stomach shrank. Hard to believe but it's true.

My brother also made a request for Edamame. 


We love these beans a lot.

Now, what shall I eat? I have always been curious about Japanese curry. It seems weird. Japanese and curry. But it's very popular. So I had the Katsu Chicken Curry.


It was quite good. The curry was mild and yet I found it enjoyable. The chicken katsu was very crispy on the outside and moist inside.


We had cold green tea for drinks, something my partner frowns upon because he says that the cold drink would coagulate the oil (from our food) in our stomach.


Is that true? I know there is a video where some people stir oil in a glass of cold ice water and the oil solidifies. The thing is, our stomach is not ice cold like that.

We are in fact very warm inside. A sip or two of cold drinks is not going to change our body temperature significantly on the inside. My non-expert opinion, of course.


At the end of our meal, we were treated to a scoop of ice cream each by Connie, the lady boss. She knows how to keep us happy, doesn't she? 

I know for sure that we will be back, without a doubt.

36 comments:

  1. Hi Phong Hong,
    My big kids like Japanese curry not too spicy.The bento set really value for money. Well, nothing beats having sweet dessert to end the delicious & hearty meal :)

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    1. Hi Karen! I like it too. At first I was scared that it won't be good. I won't mind having it again.

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  2. Japanese Curry is sweeter and not as spicy.

    Thanks for sharing the review of this restaurant.

    You made me have craving for Japanese food especially Chawanmushi, I can three bowls of that.

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    1. *I can have three bowls of that.

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    2. The curry is not bad at all. Yes, chawanmushi is nice.

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  3. ah I must try to visit this restaurant but if the bento is too much for you it would be way too much for me. i like the taste of japanese curry despite its slightly sweet taste. i am no expert too but i agree with you about the cold drink. furthermore there is a lot of strong acid in our stomach.

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    1. You can share the bento, it is enough for two small eaters. I was pleasantly surprised that the Japanese curry was tasty.

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  4. love the beans. kalau makan mesti tak ingat berapa banyak dah makan

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  5. What delicious food and great service! I'd go back, too!

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    Replies
    1. The boss sure knows how to please her guests!

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  6. Your Connie of Hokano is like my Netallie of Burger & Sushi...it's always nice to get that little special treatment...hehe! ;) When you say it's value for money, how much did the bento cost by the way? Like you, I've always been curious about Japanese curry but have not brought myself to order it probably because of the looks (and colour) of Japanese curries on the menu. If it's mild (or sweet), I don't think I'll enjoy it as I love the robust flavours of our local curry too much.

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    1. We love to feel special, don't we? hee..hee.. Opps forgot to mention the price of the bento. It's thirty something. I was quite surprised that I liked the curry. I was iffy about it at first.

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  7. I really love to eat at Rakuzen and was pleased with the food menu, price and service. They taste very similar to food served in Japan.

    Anyway, I need to lay off this food for a while after eating 3 meals a day for a week. The first thing I craved for when I landed in KL,was roti chanai with curry at Raub's at Damansara Uptown. That outlet is superb until Tun Daim, Tengku Razaleigh and others are regulars.

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    1. I will be checking out at Hokano soon!

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    2. I must go to Rakuzen next! And Raub's too :)

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  8. I quite like Japanese but I can't say I'm crazy about their curry. Just ok with it, not bad sometimes for a change.

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    1. I like the curry, it's alright but not crazy over it. It's Indian curry for me anytime hee..hee..

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  9. I always like to order Bento set whenever I dine at the Japanese Restaurant, just feel satisfying.

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    1. Me too. I like the variety, a bit of this and that.

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  10. I don't consider myself a Japanese food fan but I am beginning to like cooked Japanese food. Next time, I will try Japanese curry.

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    Replies
    1. You will find the curry pleasant. It's mild but not bad lah.

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  11. Good for the lady boss, know how to "buy heart"... Yes, the food looks good enough to go back for, time after time...

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    1. She is very smart and has good business sense :)

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  12. My lahling sukalah benda benda gini. Selalunya makan dekat food court je PH....Anak anak i selalunya tak makan chawan Mushi tu so maknya yang bedal haha.....

    Emmm logik jugaklah you punya opinion tu, dalam perut dah tentulah panas ye PH, tak sempat de nak membeku kata dalam tu haha...

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    1. Actually, PH tak berapa minat chawan mushi tu. Yang PH suka ialah maki. Bukan maki hamun tau! hee..hee...

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  13. Not fond of Japanese curry. I like spicy curry. ^^

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    1. I also prefer spicy but can accept Japanese curry.

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  14. From your post, it sound like this was the first time you tried Japanese curry? That's very unbelievable! O.O

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  15. The first thing you should do when having Japanese curry is to NOT compare them with Malaysian or Indian curry. Not same same one. It will be like expecting Mexican rice to feel like Jasmine rice.

    Jap curry (proper ones) have a special ingredient in the mix: apples. That's why they're sweet. :P

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    1. True lah I agree, cannot compare one. I liked it and won't mind eating it again.

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