Abiko Curry
Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman
Many Westerners will think of India when they hear the word “curry,” but the Japanese have a great culinary history of curries as well. This month’s featured restaurant is a favorite neighborhood spot for both me and my partner, not just because of how good the food is, but also because of how nice the owners and staff are. Their smallish, glass-walled restaurant is always crowded in the afternoons and evenings, and their kitchens are constantly bustling with take-out orders as well.
The menu at Abiko (아비꼬) offers a wide range of food, from curry and rice bowls, to croquettes and udon (K. 우동). While their menu has some English on it, to order you will need to be able to write in Korean, or one of the waiters or the owner can come over to help you out. For this visit, I wanted to try something new, so I went with the gyudon bowl, which is a hot bowl of rice topped with beef, sautéed onions, and fresh scallions, with a raw egg on top. After stirring in the egg to cook it in the steaming rice, I started to tuck in. It was a very comforting and savory dish, and there was a good balance of rice to the meat and onions so that I felt full and satisfied after my meal. Since I was sick that day, I did not feel up to the delicious flavor and strong spice of my regular curry, so this perfectly satisfied me.
On any other week though, my order is regular enough that the waiters know it when I walk in: their pork curry set with hashed curry and donkatsu (K. 돈까스). It comes with sides of kimchi radish, pickled tomato, dried garlic, green onion, miso soup, and a drink for 13,500 won. They have four levels of spiciness for their curry, though I never go beyond zero or one. I personally love adding the dried garlic and fresh green onions because it lends a depth of texture and flavor to the savory curry. If pork curry is not your favorite, there are also the chicken and beef curries to choose from. You can also choose for the set to have the “chicken-katsu” as a substitute for the donkatsu, or forgo the meat altogether.
The curry is always served piping hot from the kitchen and almost overflowing from the plate. The texture of their curry is smooth and thick, and combined with their rice, it is so filling that I normally have their set meal as dinner one night and lunch the next day. All in all, the Japanese curry from Abiko is a large and comforting home-style meal that will leave you stuffed to the gills but still craving more.
You can find Abiko in Sangmu and in Suwan on the west side of Gwangju. The Sangmu branch is within easy walking distance of the subway, and the Suwan branch is close to the Moa Elgaa Apartment bus stop.
ABIKO 아비꼬 Japanese Curry Restaurant
Time: Daily, 11:00–21:00
22 Songdo-ro 85-beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 광주 서구 상무연하로 19
Tel: 062-384-8859
The Author
Sarah Pittman is an English teacher with a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. She discovered her love for photography while working at Disneyland and has been honing her craft with practice and YouTube videos every since.