A note on the words: Awaji Island curry is built around premium onions from Hyogo Prefecture’s Awaji Island, here piled high, with pork tender enough to cut with a spoon. Magari refers to a daytime lunchtime setup where a cook sublets a bar or izakaya that is normally open only in the evening.
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OLD TIME on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. In Akasaka, I was originally walking around aiming for tonkatsu, when I spotted a banner that said “Kanazawa Curry”. On top of that, a nice curry aroma was drifting by and smelled wonderful! So I promptly gave up on tonkatsu and decided to eat the curry here. The shop is called “OLD TIME”; perhaps it’s a bar at night? It looks more like a bar than a curry shop. I suspect they probably only serve Kanazawa curry at lunchtime.
Somehow, from their appearance, they looked like the staff of this bar,
so it feels more like they simply serve curry during the daytime rather than running a magari, a sublet lunchtime kitchen.
Awaji Island stout pork curry — 950 yen
Awaji Island pork and beans curry — 1,050 yen
Awaji Island beans curry — 850 yen
Awaji Island plain curry — 750 yen
Toppings include pork, bean sauce, fried onions, and pickles.
Since this was my first time at this shop, I chose the Awaji Island stout pork curry, which is billed as “start with this one!”.
I went with regular rice and spice level 3.
While waiting for it to come out, I read through the various materials placed in the shop, and you can see an extraordinary passion for Awaji Island curry, ha.
Apparently it is built on premium Awaji Island onions, and mounding it high is also said to be a key point.
Oh, that looks delicious!
A great curry aroma wafts up, whetting the appetite.
Taking a bite, it’s good!
The very first thing you notice is an elegant sweetness! I suspect this is probably the sweetness of the onions.
The rich curry also seems to have a bit of demi-glace in it, which might be the secret behind that depth.
It’s quite spicy too, and while sweet, having added extra heat makes it solidly spicy. Overall, a well-balanced, excellent curry.
And the meat on top is incredibly tender. Soft enough that you can cut it with a spoon.
Mmm, seriously delicious.
I just popped into this curry shop on a whim, but it’s incredibly delicious. Rather than a bar doing curry on the side, I wonder if it’s more like a curry shop running a bar. It was a seriously delicious curry, so a return visit here is almost certain. Recommended!
Awaji Island curry is really good. It made me want to check out other shops too.
OLD TIME (Bar / Akasaka Station, Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Tameike-sanno Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
