Oldie but Goodie is a monthly column where we feature noteworthy restaurants, cafes or bars that have been open at least six months and are worth a try.
The Jiangnanxi area is a foodie’s paradise in Guangzhou, with a seemingly endless array of establishments specializing in Cantonese, Japanese, Western and a wide array of Chinese regional cuisines.
Wandering the neighborhood can lead to difficult dining decisions, as you ponder whether to snack on RMB1 sushi rolls (saving this eatery for a future story…), go bonkers on baozi or ram a Japanese ‘rice burger’ down your throat.
There is also curry, specifically the Japanese variety, being simmered, spiced and riced at Curry Monster. Located on Jiangnanxi Lu, this small eatery offers Guangzhou curry lovers a diverse menu of both classic Japanese curries and exceptional fusion dishes.
Take the Sichuan-style curry dishes, for example, which blend, thick, zesty 'rising sun-style' curry with the numbing heat of Sichuan cuisine. Boasting fried fish (the species of which is unknown) set on top of a thick super-spiced curry with potatoes and peppers, the fish fillet cutlet in Sichuan-style curry with rice (RMB31) was our favorite of Curry Monster’s four Sichuan-inspired dishes.
Fish fillet cutlet in Sichuan-style curry with rice
The oyster cutlet in Sichuan-style curry with rice (RMB34) is also well worth a try, although we were disappointed by the lack of oyster meat present in the heavily-battered shellfish (65 percent crust, 35 percent oyster).
Oyster cutlet in Sichuan-style curry with rice
The cheese-stuffed pork loin cutlet with curry and rice (RMB35) was our favorite Curry Monster menu item (that we sampled, anyway), and, like all of the establishment’s curries, comes spiced to order. Heat opinions include: not spicy, hot, medium hot and super hot. We opted for ‘hot,’ but found that the curry could probably have done with a little extra kick, leading us to encourage spice lovers to order the meal ‘medium hot,’ or perhaps even ‘super hot.’
Cheese-stuffed pork loin cutlet with curry and rice
Food here is served at a rapid pace, with all three of the aforesaid curries arriving at our table in less than five minutes after being ordered. This promptness is important at Curry Monster, as, with limited seating and a devout following amongst locals and expats alike, getting costumers fed, paid up and out the door to make room for the next hungry curry devotee is essential.
If Tianhe happens to be your stomping grounds, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t need to venture over to Haizhu to enjoy Curry Monster’s delectable curries, as there's another location in Grandview Mall.
See listing for Curry Monster (Jiangnanxi).
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