朝寢坊の咖哩 新竹店

Located near Hsinchu Dayuan Department Store and Guandi Temple, Chaochi Curry offers a home-style Japanese curry. The style is reasonably priced, but from the self-service bar, ingredient options, to portion sizes, you can feel the restaurant's emphasis on "satisfaction" and "freedom of combination."

The design of the self-service bar not only provides basic room temperature and iced water, but also thoughtfully includes seaweed egg drop soup and pickled radish. The soup is warm and refreshing, though not stunning, it provides a pleasant relief after the robust flavors of the curry. The pickled radish is tangy and crisp, which pairs well with the curry rice, showing the restaurant's sincerity in small details.

At Chaochi, you can freely choose whether to add minced garlic and meat sauce to your curry. As for the spice level, the lowest is mildly spicy, which is completely acceptable for those who don't usually eat spicy food; it adds just a hint of aroma without being overwhelming.

Hamburger Steak Curry
The curry sauce itself has a nice flavor, balanced spices, and a suitable thickness, with a bit of mild spiciness and salty meat sauce that pairs well with rice. However, I personally prefer the hamburger steak less; its texture is more like Taiwanese meat patty rather than Japanese grilled hamburger steak, and it has a distinct peppery taste. For those used to the juicy and rich style of Japanese thick meat patties, this might feel a bit lacking in the "juicy fullness" expectation.

Chicken Nugget Curry + Cheese
This dish is straightforward and standard. The chicken nuggets are freshly fried, of average crispiness, and tend to be a bit dry inside, not particularly surprising. Adding cheese costs an extra 50 yuan; considering the overall taste and cost, I would suggest cheese lovers think carefully about whether to upgrade. However, the portion is sufficient, and you'll feel full after finishing.

Pork Cutlet Curry
This is the one I recommend the most among the three. The pork cutlet is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with sufficient thickness and moist meat that pairs seamlessly with the curry sauce. The crispy outer layer, after absorbing the curry sauce, adds more flavor, and it can be easily paired with white rice and meat sauce curry for a satisfying meal, making it a highly stable signature choice in the restaurant.

In summary, Chaochi Curry is the kind of budget-friendly curry shop that doesn't seek extravagance but rather pursues stability and satisfaction. In addition to a wide variety of ingredients and generous portions, the small design of the self-service bar adds a lot of warmth. If you're looking for a place where you can eat well, have plenty of options, and enjoy air conditioning while taking your time, this is definitely worth a visit.