CURRY HYUGA
ADDRESS: 1204 Broadway, Burlingame, CA 94010
WEBSITE: https://curryhyuga.com/
Curry Hyuga has been on my list of places I’ve wanted to add to the blog since my cousin Linda introduced me to it during one of my previous visits up to the San Francisco area. We had only gotten take-out at the time, but the food was so good that I knew I wanted to come back in-person to try it again. During this most recent trip up to the area for the BTS concert at Stanford with my wife Cami, it was the perfect opportunity to take a visit.
We had a day in between two concert dates to relax and explore the area, and a lunchtime stop to Curry Hyuga fit really well into our schedule. It was relatively quiet inside the restaurant for the Monday afternoon lunch service, with only a few other tables seated when we arrived.
As the namesake suggests, Japanese curry is their signature item, with a few different entrée options of what you’d like to accompany the curry and rice. There were a few alternatives to the curry rice options, along with an accompaniment of appetizers to choose from as well. Another section of the menu also talked about some Japanese spaghetti options, which also sounded really good. Although our eyes were maybe getting ahead of our stomachs, we ended up ordering a chicken karaage appetizer, pork katsu curry rice, and dashi tomato bacon pasta.
With only a few tables seated in the restaurant, the food ended up coming out of the kitchen relatively quickly. The chicken karaage came out first, the breading fried to a nice golden brown. The karaage was made with chicken thighs to have a juicy texture with each bite, and the breading on the outside provided a nice crunch. The breading itself also wasn’t caked on too thick either, which helped let the chicken shine.
Both the curry rice and the pasta were served right on the heels of the karaage, so we only managed a few bites of the chicken before it was time to start sampling the entrées. The curry was up first, which possessed a deep umami flavor that was accentuated with savory and slightly sweet notes. The pork katsu was fried just right, with the breading crispy and the pork itself still moist. Taking the curry, pork, and rice all together, it was pure comfort food with each bite.
The final item we tried was the dashi tomato bacon pasta, which was certainly an interesting contrast to the flavors of the other dishes we had. It ate similar to what you’d expect from a spaghetti and tomato sauce dish, with the dashi providing a slight bit more umami to the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes. I did like how the bacon provided some really nice smoky notes to each bite, and the chiffonade of Thai basil on top was a nice aromatic note to the dish when mixed in to the rest of the bowl.
The return visit to Curry Hyuga lived up to what I was expecting, and I’m glad that we were able to find time to make a stop. We definitely got ahead of ourselves and ordered too much food to finish in one sitting, but the leftovers afterwards tasted just as good later. The service was very attentive, with the waitstaff coming over several times to check if we had what we needed. With the portion sizes and flavors of each dish, it was plenty worth what we paid for. If you find yourself near Burlingame and you are a fan of Japanese curry, do yourself a favor and stop by to check it out.
Let’s now take a look at the Curry Hyuga Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Chicken Karaage **
Shio-dashi marinated fried chicken, served with a mayo-based dipping sauce.
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** Pork Katsu Curry Rice **
Breaded pork loin served with Japanese curry and rice. Served with potato salad and pickled ginger.
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** Dashi Tomato Bacon Spaghetti **
Spaghetti in California tomato sauce, with smoky bacon pieces, mozzarella & Parmesan cheese, and umami dashi. Topped with Thai basil.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Curry Hyuga:
Food: 5 / 5
Rich and hearty flavors make up each of the dishes that we tried, with the portion sizing plentiful. The quality of the food tasted great, and we left very satisfied.
Atmosphere: 4.25 / 5
It’s a high-ceiling dining room with a number of different booths along the walls. There is probably seating for around 36 – 40 people, so I can imagine if the place gets busy, you could be in for a wait on getting a table.
Service: 4.25 / 5
The waitstaff were very attentive, consistently keeping an eye on the dining area and coming by our table a few times to check if we needed anything or to refill our drinks.
Price: 4.5 / 5
The curry rice and pasta were each $17, along with the karaage being $8.50. For the quality of the food and how much we got, I thought it was definitely a very reasonable price point.
Overall:
18 / 20
(90%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
