A Spice & Beats
Sannomiya: Curry
A Spice & Beats
Open noon-3pm. Closed Thursdays, Sundays.

You'll find excellent Kansai-style spice curries at this tiny lunchtime-only shop. Though the chef uses a hefty dose of different spices, the overall heat level is less fiery than average, so the subtler aspects of each dish shine through.

There are three daily curries on offer. As usual with spice curry, a combo plate is recommended so you can experience as many flavor juxtapositions as possible. Ingredient combinations are well thought out - for example the chef explained that the black bean curry is meant to be eaten with its accompanying pickles to bring out the full impact of the mustard oil seasoning. Our keema curry was studded with kernels of corn, which worked quite well to add sweetness and a crunchy texture.

Midway through the meal the chef produced a bottle of Kewra water, an extract similar to rosewater that's used for flavoring biryani. He suggested adding a dab of it to our rice and then trying it with the various curries, and it really did make the flavors pop. (By the way, the rice served here is a mix of basmati rice and Japanese white rice, available in three different sizes.)

The shop can be hard to find - it occupies a tiny building that's down a narrow alleyway off a side street. There will be a signboard placed at the entrance to the alleyway when they're open, which is currently only at lunchtime.




Sannomiya
Chuo-ku, Kobe, Naka-Yamate-dori 1-9-3.



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Venue listing from Bento.com4 Star Rating: recommended