Japanese curry soba + pork katsu ($17.90+)!
Outram Park cafe — Japanese curry soba (buckwheat noodles in curry sauce) topped with sliced pork katsu and shredded white leek negi. $17.90+.
Lunch today: Japanese curry soba + pork katsu at an Outram Park cafe for $17.90+. The fusion noodle. 😋
What was in the bowl ($17.90+):
- Soba (buckwheat noodles) stir-fried in Japanese curry sauce.
- Sliced pork katsu on top.
- Shredded white leek negi garnish.
Fusion play here: soba’s earthy buckwheat profile against Japanese curry’s umami-sweet roux. This is a different animal from the usual rice-based katsu curry. Going dry-stir rather than soupy means the curry clings to every strand of noodle as a coating instead of pooling at the bottom of a bowl, so each mouthful is fully seasoned and you get that wok-tossed, almost yakisoba-style texture.
The pork katsu is the textural counterpoint: a crumbed, deep-fried cutlet sliced and laid across the top, so the crust stays crisp above the saucy noodles instead of going soggy in them. The shredded white leek negi is the fresh, sharp note that cuts through all that richness, a little raw bite to keep the curry from feeling heavy.
It’s the kind of modern Japanese fusion you find at the small cafes around Outram Park and Chinatown, comfort food with a twist, and at $17.90+ it sits in fair cafe-lunch territory for a plate this generous.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. Soba held the curry coating well, the katsu stayed crispy on top, and the negi balanced the richness. Modern Japanese fusion done right at cafe pricing. 😋👍🏼
