For those whom have been following the happenings around the local F&B scene for the past couple of years, perhaps the mention of Kuro Kare may be a name that some would be familiar with. Kuro Kare is an establishment that was previously situated within the campus of Singapore Management University; they have since moved out of their former premises but have opened at a new location in the basement of Havelock II; other notable tenants that are situated there includes an outlet of KangJi Curry Mee, an outlet of Golden Mile Thien Kee Steamboat Hainanese Restaurant and Little Lady Bakes. Kuro Kare occupies a kiosk space at Havelock II though the unit it occupies does have sufficient space for a few dine-in tables as well as counter seating that overlooks its food preparation area. It serves two (2) menus; one for lunch service and the other for dinner service — the former comprising of sections dedicated to Mains, Add-ons and Sides.

During our visit to Kuro Kare, we went for the Iberico Pork Katsu Curry from the Mains section; patrons do get a choice to opt for the Value Set for the choice of their mains which sees the addition of 3pc Aged Salmon Sashimi, White Miso Negi Soup and Unlimited Genmaicha for an extra charge of $5.90 on top of the Main opted. It is noted that Kuro Kare now serves the choice of meat away from the Japanese curry rice on a separate plate — the menu describes the Iberico Pork Katsu Curry to feature a 250g slab of Iberico Pork Katsu; it is also observed from our order that there is the inclusion of pickled cucumbers and mustard coming on the side as well. Going straight for the Iberico Pork Katsu, the Iberico Katsu does come with a deep-fried batter featuring pank crumbs; very crisp and not particularly greasy — all that whilst the slab of pork was tender and juicy that it did not require any effort to chew through. The pork was free from any undesirable porky stench, though does come with a hint of natural sweetness amidst the meatiness; the sprinkling of salt further enhances the flavour of the pork, while pairing the pork with the mustard sauce on the side adds an earthy note that cuts through the meatiness quite well. Kuro Kare is probably most noted for its “black curry”; we did note that the consistency of the Japanese curry here does come a little runnier but also came at a darker shade than what one would typically expect — the result is actually quite a savoury Japanese-style curry that delivers a punch without being too starchy nor gloopy. The flavours of their Japanese curry was not too peppery, but there is a deep earthiness and light sweetness with a savoury undertone that is pretty unique — goes especially well with the short-grain rice that is sprinkled with Furikake for a slightly umami twist.