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Like most Japanese restaurants, Karei-ya has an inviting look. It might be rather small in size, but the typically Japanese plastic models of food that adorn its display window make it a hard place to walk by without noticing (or salivating).

As its name, which is Japanese for “curry house,” suggests, the newly opened restaurant specializes in curry-based delicacies, most of which are simple dishes served with rice. Additional toppings, including omelet, broccoli and bacon, can be ordered.

Located at the Benton Junction dining complex in Lippo Karawaci, Karei-ya also serves variations on modern Japanese dishes, including a diverse range of pasta and fusion-styled entrees.

The restaurant, which bills itself as a “Japanese cafe and curry house,” has a youth-oriented and cozy design. Two large TVs adorn its bright-looking display window, facing both the indoor and outdoor area of the restaurant, and are usually broadcasting whatever football game is on that day. Frequented by students from the nearby Pelita Harapan University, it has already established itself as a popular hangout, with playing cards and board games provided.

With an inside capacity of about 30 people, the restaurant, perhaps unintentionally, captures the narrow-but-intimate style of a real Japanese diner. But even when the place is filled with customers, it has a warm crowdedness that adds to the ambience.

With main-course prices ranging from Rp 30,000 to 40,000 ($3 to $4), Karei-ya is also appropriately priced.

But of course, everything boils down to whether the restaurant lives up to its name as a house of curry.

Karei-ya’s curry sauce comes in either normal or spicy, and both are equally scrumptious. There is a mild sweetness and a slightly bean-like taste atop its thick, gravy-like surface. A distinct meaty flavor brings a fullness to the sauce, similar to the taste of beef goulash.

The curries pack a more memorable, lighter taste than most other Japanese-curry eateries around. They benefit from not having the “processed” curry taste usually found in similar establishments.

The variety of meat and vegetables that complete the dishes is also a cut above the usual local Japanese fast-food chains. Again, the ingredients have a less-processed and unsullied flavor to them. The “hamburg,” or hamburger meat, has a distinctly crunchy surface and tender insides, with the enoki mushrooms tasting particularly delightful in their freshness.

But the real surprise comes from the non-curry dishes, particularly the pasta dishes, with sauces that are light and creamy, instead of watery and plain, and mix nicely with the pasta, meat and vegetables. There was also none of that plastic-y pasta taste that is sometimes found in similar mid-priced restaurants.

Side dishes and entrees are original in flavor, with some working better than others. The mushroom sauce had a delectable tang but suffered from the thickness of the cream. The chili-cheese fries, on the other hand, were a deliciously successful cheesy opener.

Karei-ya is a surprising restaurant that delivers far more than expected. There seems to be a real understanding of the ingredients, which sets it apart from the myriad other fast-food, hangout cafes that offer similar dishes. It also gains points for its informal, if acquired-taste, ambience. It is a dining experience that definitely deserves a return trip.

Karei-ya
Benton Junction
Jl. Bulevar Palem Raya, Tangerang
Tel. 021 5421 1175