First Impressions / Isekai Shokudou

「カレーライス / チキンカレー」 (Karē Raisu / Chikin Karee)
“Curry Rice / Chicken Curry”

The Castaway

As a huge fan of Japanese curry I was excited to learn that I’d be covering the show for the week that Nekoya, Tenshu, and Alphonse Flügel pay tribute to the dish. It was heartwarming to see Alphonse dive into the Curry Rice that kept him composed and comfortable all of these years as he was trapped on an island. Years on the island and months away at sea haven’t tempered his love for the curry as finding the Duchal door to Nekoya was enough to get back into eating plate after plate of curry. The second half of the episode ascended Alphonse higher into the upper echelons of his curry infatuation by being the first to test out Nekoya’s recipe for Chicken Curry. Although he had a hard time cleaning every plate he came across that day, his passion still held on strong.

He might not have convinced Altorius to put curry on his cutlet, but I would put curry on almost anything. I love Thai, Indian, and Jamaican curry, but discovering Japanese curry opened up its own door for me. It shares the spice and savory goodness that other curries have, but the flavor evolves depending on which ingredients you use. Vegetables like carrots, potatoes (or sweet potatoes), or mushrooms are good for keeping your meat of choice company, but the possibilities are endless to giving the sauce some umph to its composition. Putting in some onions to brown before boiling everything together gives them a nice, caramelized flavor that flows well with the curry. I add some hot pepper because I find the store-bought cubes to not pack as much heat in them, but if you find it to be too spicy like Alphonse’s initial reaction to the Chicken Curry, some mellow out the spice with yogurt. A level of sweetness also creates good definition with curry as I’ve discovered from mixing pureed apple and honey into the roux, but some find that a little touch of chocolate helps add a nice layer of sweetness that works well with the spicy, savory roux. There are even ways to add depth to the curry’s savory traits by incorporating items like steak sauce or red wine to add a mature flavor to the roux and help tenderize the meat you use. Japanese curry is a multifaceted dish that is easy to whip together, is versatile to fit any flavor profile, and tastes as wonderful as it looks on the show. I’m looking forward to seeing what Zaiden’s experiences with curry in Japan will be like.

Kuro: The Dragon of Demise

I’m surprised how we are introduced to Kuro (Oonishi Saori) this far into the season given that I just realized she appears on the poster alongside Aletta, but it’s a pleasant surprise. As we learn about how all of the universe’s dragons came together to fight against a great evil, it was sad to see Kuro find herself in the same position as the evil she just fought. As the harbinger of death, the beings she was once able to fly over had become too weak to handle her presence as the energy she emitted eradicated them from existence. Luckily for her, she didn’t get the entire Doctor Manhattan treatment after exiling herself to the moon, and found the door to Nekoya. It does make me question what kind of appetite the dragons must have given how high she stacked enough empty plates of chicken curry for Alphonse to be unable to cover all of the curry she ate.

Concluding Thoughts

Kuro is a very cute addition to the series if Tenshu is serious about hiring her to join Nekoya. I feel bad for Aletta since she showed some fear about the possibility of being replaced, but it’s shaping up to be more along the lines of giving her a co-worker to ease some of the pressure off her than a bid for her job. I’m pumped up to see what Kuro can provide to Nekoya given how endearing Tenshu and Aletta are. I’m also ecstatic about how many callbacks there were to other characters throughout the episode. Last week’s war against the best foods had this in common, but it was cool to see the connection that Alphonse had with Heinrich as Duchy citizens, and how the mythos behind the dragons were fleshed out. I hope we see Kuro and the Red Queen bond a lot more as well throughout the upcoming episodes.

Brie and Honey Sandwich

This week, I did meal prep for japchae, which turned out amazing. However, this means that my sandwich or potato experience had to come from an outside source. There are many sandwiches I was thinking about discussing in fuller detail; this one steak sandwich at a pot-themed sandwich shop with garlic aioli and potato sticks that always comes out mindblowing, some of the crazy burgers I’ve come across in my travels, the corned beef on rye that towers over all that surrounds it, or a homemade peanut butter and banana sandwich grilled on the stove. But then I remembered that in many instances, less is more. That’s a sentiment I find with some of the sandwiches from the French cafes that I’ve come across.

It does take a half hour or more to get to places with great food, but it’s worth it to go out of my way for it on occasion. This one, in particular, is a Brie and Honey sandwich with potato wedges and mixed greens. It doesn’t have the best reviews, mostly because the price and service, but this sandwich brings out the best in the cafe as the bread was hearty without being too tough or brittle, and the brie was high quality. Sometimes, all I would need from a sandwich are just the basic ingredients, and the combination of a nice cheese and a comforting bread are all I could ask for. I would still say the meal as a whole would be a 6/10 because the potatoes and greens on the side weren’t too remarkable, the sandwich could have used more honey, and it was a bit pricey. The baguette and brie were good themselves, but it would’ve added a great touch to it by balancing out the flavors with a little more sweetness from the honey pairing. My favorite accompaniments with brie are apricot preserves, fig jam, or grapes so to have those with a baguette would’ve been perfect. It would also align well with the fruit sandwiches of the last episode to have had some sweetness to it.

Preview

33 Comments

    1. If all of them have this “Dragon” like appetite, then you will hear someone crying in the Kittchen 🙂

      Lucky for him the “Red” are happy with just this big Pot. Imagine she also have this Big appetite 🙂

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

    1. Japanese curries are more similar to colonial British versions of curry than its original Indian recipes. IIRC today’s Brits tend to go for the authentic Indian stuff more over the hybrid versions their Victorian ancestors made (and later introduced to Japan during the Meiji era).

      zztop
      Reply

      1. You posted that whilst I was having tea (so I must be British!) Unfortunately most British people still have no idea what real Indian food is like, so they still go to the standard “Indian restaurants” which mostly serve the same made-up dishes that you would never find in India. In the larger cities though you will find restaurants that specialise in the real regional cuisines of India.

        Angelus
        Reply

    2. At the moment, I’ve used chicken and beef for curry, but it’s a unique dish that can bring out the best in any meat. I’m hoping that there’ll be some development with Kuro, and show us how she bonds with Aletta and Tenshu

      Choya
      Reply

  3. The LNs say Kuro took on elf form because she didn’t know of other races to transform into. Elves were the only intelligent species in the world she knew of when she left for the Moon, so she thinks the whole world is still just elves.
    The 1st time she looked through the door, she thought humans were very short eared elves.

    zztop
    Reply

  4. Speaking as a native of the nation that unleashed “curry” on the world, all I can do is apologise for our colonial past, which seems even more appropriate as today is the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.

    Don’t misunderstand, I love Indian food and cook it regularly, but let’s get one thing straight – there is no such thing as “curry”. And the idea that you can take a stale mixture of ready-ground spices and make something edible from it is a big mistake (especially if it contains fenugreek). That said, “curry powder” was indeed created for British people returning from a spell in India and wanting something to take home to remind themselves of the flavours they experienced during their stay.

    Having been responsible for the creation of this foul substance, we then exported it worldwide, including China, and from thence it found its way to Japan (somehow becoming “curry roux” at some point along the journey). I’ve actually eaten “curry” in Japan, mainly out of morbid curiosity it has to be said, and it gave me raging heartburn for the rest of the day. So never again, I think.

    But at least I can agree that Kuro is indeed cute.

    Angelus
    Reply

    1. Agreed, IMHO Japanese “curry” is one of the strangest things I’ve ever tried. The flavor combination is unlike any Indian dish I’ve consumed, and contains way too fat and salt.

      I’m sure others disagree, but Indian dishes like karahi ghosht are much, much better than the Japanese/British “curry”.

      Anon
      Reply

      1. I might quibble with you there and say that karahi/kadhai gosht is of Mughal origin and in terms of modern political geography is therefore properly Pakistani rather than Indian, but I certainly take your point.

        Actually most British “Indian” restaurants are run by Bangladeshis these days anyway. Which is of course not to say that Bangladeshis are in any way inferior, but Bangladesh has its own unique regional cuisines which have more or less vanished under the weight of fake “Indian” food.

        Angelus
        Reply

    2. I can’t vouch for how the British make curry save for the one time I got a store-bought curry mix from an English brand that tasted like a bland version of the Japanese cubes. I think the box wanted me to put it over chips if that’s any indication on what the brand is or what the flavor would be.

      There are some great places by me to get Indian curry. I’m not sure how authentic it is to Indian cuisine because there are some dishes that might’ve been influenced through British chefs, but it’s not watered down or Americanized. The curry is alright there, but I go there more for their baingan bharta.

      Choya
      Reply

      1. If it’s made properly then baingan bharta should be an authentic Punjabi dish. Do they have sarson da saag too? I make that from time to time, but I can only ever find canned mustard greens, not fresh ones.

        Angelus
        Reply

    1. Funny you should say that, a year or so ago I started to wonder whether the floorboards in my house had started to rot as they were making all sorts of strange noises as I walked across them. But really it was only me putting on weight!

      Angelus
      Reply

      1. There was another anime I really enjoyed recently but I cannot think of its name at the moment. It was about a widowed father and his young daughter. They would visit a little restaurant owned by the mother of one of his students and the student would help the father learn to cook different meals. I wish I could remember the name but what I can remember is gaining eleven pounds from recreating the dishes they would show…… ugh. Why do they have to animate the dishes so…grrr…. good like that? lol

        Tepenga
        Reply

    2. I always feel like food anime always make me hungry or crave things I know aren’t good for me. After Wakakozake, I’d keep craving bar food like what she eats there. It doesn’t help that Isekai Shokudou makes everything look so good.

      Choya
      Reply

    3. Ah, thats the name! Thank you!

      It didn’t really bother me about the student/teacher bit as I thought it was done professionally. I really liked that series (especially the “No Clump Dance” that Tsumugi performed lol)

      Yeah, the animation of the food is going to be the death of me! It just looks to tempting.

      Tepenga
      Reply

  6. https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Shokudou/Isekai%20Shokudou%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2036.jpg
    Everyone knows that dragon girls make the best maids waitresses.

    https://randomc.net/image/Isekai%20Shokudou/Isekai%20Shokudou%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    Poor Aletta just lost some of her thunder as the cutest waitress in Nekonya… (Don’t worry, you’re still the best girl of the show in my eyes.)

    While I also eat chicken curry occasionally, there are some differences between the dish shown here and what I usually eat: One, it’s not so spicy; two, the sauce is different with more of a yellow color (though it’s still made from curry powder); and three, it is topped with sliced potatoes and some carrots. Still tasty with rice, though.

    And man, I never thought that the dragons once fought against a sanity-sapping eldritch abomination. Perhaps it is Tenshu’s cooking that now gives the Red Queen (and Kuro) some respite from that battle?

    Incognito
    Reply

    1. After Kobayashi and Fire Emblem, it’s hard to not see the appeal of dragon girls.

      Yellow curry is very nice. It’s definitely more savory than spicy, but it brings out a lot of the spices well, and the potato and carrot compliment the sauce.

      That’d be something good to explore; where after years of living with the aftershock of fighting this horrific monstrosity, it’s Nekoya’s food like beef stew and chicken curry that helps the dragons cope and heal.

      Choya
      Reply

  7. Man I’m surprised Kuro was a Dragon looks Like I was way off with my prediction last week XD. Curry is a rare treat for me as the last time I had it was when I got a promotional 7 deadly sins curry from a convention XD. My brother hates the taste but my Mom and I like the taste of curry XD.

    Devastator001
    Reply

  11. Dammit, this episode made me even hungrier than I needed to be… Now I need BOTH curries in my stomach!!! Too bad they’re both so expensive to eat MWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! Choya why, why did this episode have to make me hungry! ( ; _ ; )

    Nishizawa Mihashi
    Reply

    1. Brie is a French cheese. It would depend on which state you’re in. The more populous ones are bound to have some within more urban areas. This one was from an upscale mall, so as long as there’s something like that nearby, maybe there’d be some cafes within a 5-30 mile radius. More rural areas, however, will be difficult to dig for food at outside of chains or regional specialties.

      Choya
      Reply

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