Kyu Yam Tetsudo｜Osaka Lucua Balchika

I visited Kyu Yam Tetsudo, which has a location in Balchika, the dining area in the basement of Lucua, right next to JR Osaka Station.

The location is incredibly convenient, and it’s also a very popular restaurant, so I hadn’t been able to visit before (I really don’t like waiting in line…). However, when I happened to be nearby and took a look, it seemed like I could get in right away, so I decided to give it a try. It looks like they’ve expanded not only in Osaka but also to Tokyo. The restaurant is very popular for its authentic spice curry. The Balchika location is a bit small, so I recommend going at an off-peak time or with a small group.

The menu lets you choose from single, double, triple, or an all-in combination, and the types of curry change every month.

By the way, this is what the menu looked like this month.

• A：
  Beef and pork keema with bonito simmered in red wine, served with grilled eggplant and marinated pear.（赤ワインで煮込む鰹の牛豚キーマに焼き茄子と梨のマリネ添え）
• B：
  Rich pork keema with white miso and browned butter in a creamy paitan-style base, topped with addictive “Niradamon” (seasoned garlic chives).（白味噌と焦がしバターのこってり白湯ポークキーマにやみつきニラダモンのせ）
• C：
  Chicken keema made with the umami of mushrooms and Japanese dashi, topped with balsamic kinpira of lotus root and soybeans.（きのこの旨味と和出汁でつくる鶏キーマに蓮根と大豆のバルサミコきんぴらのせ）
• D：
  Vegetable curry with mizuna greens and taro.（水菜と里いもの野菜カレー）

You can tell just by looking at the menu why it’s so popular. The level of attention to detail is impressive. This time, I ordered the ABC triple, and chose turmeric rice.

I first tried a bite of each curry. Even though they’re all spice curries, each one had a completely different flavor. Every curry was unique in its own way, yet all of them were delicious.

Another great thing about ordering multiple curries on one plate is that as they gradually mix together, new flavors emerge, which is also fun to enjoy. In addition, at Kyu Yam Tetsudo, they serve a small cup of soup curry for changing up the flavor. It’s about the size of the little creamer you’d get with coffee at a café, and when you pour it over the curry, it creates yet another delicious variation of taste.

It seems the menu changes every month, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of curry will be available the next time I visit.