One of the favorite dishes that my wife Jun and I enjoy every once in a while is Japanese curry. Not only is Jun fantastic in making curry dishes but we also frequent a curry place in Korea Town after our Saturday pilates class. When I heard of a new curry shop in East Village that received a favorable review on NY Times, I was very eager to try Suki. The curry dishes Jun and I tried at Suki were quite different from what we had been used to growing up, but it still offered a solid Sunday dinner experience.

The establishment at Suki is quite tiny with not more than six seats and counter service. From the looks of the scene, it seems the restaurant gets much more business from delivery and take-out options. The menu is all about curry, and the owner, Kelly Cho, seems to be quite proud of her unique take on curry that is used in a variety of Japanese dishes from pork katsu to ramen to udon. The flavor of Suki’s curry is on the sweeter side instead of displaying a unique kick of spice that makes the curry one of the more distinct dishes around the world. At first, Jun and I were slightly puzzled but over time the depth of flavor started to grow on us. You can also adjust the spicy level of each dish, and the dry curry’s spicy kick was quite wonderful. On the other hand, we both wished to request extra spicy for the pork katsu’s curry and the pork katsu could have been battered more crisply. For a quick and affordable (there was only one dish in the menu above $15) meal out in East Village, Suki offers a great value proposition.

The restaurant doesn’t take reservations but despite the tiny size of the space, you likely won’t have to wait too long if you want to dine at Suki. There is no alcohol served but a glass of green tea would be an ideal complement to the curry dishes. Suki is the kind of place that I would love to come visit again and try other dishes on the menu. You often don’t see a shop dedicating the entire menu to curry, and Suki does it pretty well.

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 7.75/10)

• Creativity: 7.5/10
• Execution: 8.0/10
• Ingredients: 8.0/10
• Flavor: 8.0/10
• Texture: 7.5/10
• Value: 8.5/10

Address: 86 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003

Telephone: (917) 999-6672

Website: None