I went to Coco’s Curry House with Natalie and some of her colleagues tonight for dinner.  Coco’s is a Japanese-style curry chain restaurant with a franchise just 3 minutes walk from my hosue and a frequent JET hangout in Nakatsu.  The sign outside the building (above) )says, “We are making delicious curry” in Japanese.  I ordered one of the seasonal specials: black curry!

According to the menu, the black curry contains the following special ingredients:

• Onion    たまねぎ
• Tomato  トマト
• Squid ink  イカスミ
• Wine     ワイン
• Brandy  ブランデー
• Almonds アーモンド
• Olive oil  オリーブオイル
• Garlic    ガーリック

The ingredient list sounds more Mediterranean than South Asian.  The squid ink imparts a dark, sexy black color, with a subtle taste of the sea, but not too very fishy.  In fact, the inky and mysterious blend was quite smooth and well-balanced.  Here’s another photo (below) of the actual dish, topped with a soft poached egg (半熟タマゴ).  Very striking yin-yang, light-dark contrast.