The cult-favorite Japanese curry spot leaves its SMU roots behind for a moodier, 18-seat hideaway that trades student budgets for late-night creativity.
Lede
Kuro Kare, the beloved Japanese curry joint that once fueled hungry undergrads at SMU’s School of Information Systems, has packed up its slow-cooked pots and moved to a clandestine basement space in Clarke Quay—where it now channels the spirit of Fukuoka’s street-side yatai stalls with a menu that’s equal parts comfort food and culinary experimentation. The new 18-seater, tucked beneath the unassuming Havelock 2 mall, swaps the old wallet-friendly formula for a dual concept: budget-conscious lunch sets by day, and a daring, ever-changing dinner menu by night.
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From Humble Beginnings to a Grown-Up Palette
For those who remember the original Bencoolen outlet, the transformation is striking. Back then, Kuro Kare was all about value—hearty mains like its signature 36-hour slow-cooked curry and udon bowls rarely breached the $10 mark. The constraints were real, admits co-founder Aidan Wee Yang Zheng, who helms the kitchen alongside Chef Ho Bing Rru. The pair previously cut their teeth at the now-shuttered fine dining restaurant Fleurette, and while they appreciated the student-friendly ethos, the creative ceiling was undeniable.
“Nothing is off-limits,” Wee says of the new venture. “If we see something incredible at the market across the street in the morning, it can be on our blackboard specials by night.” That freedom has spawned a menu he describes as “a Japanese base elevated with local and European techniques.”
Lunch: Refined, Familiar, and Refreshingly Affordable
The day shift at Kuro Kare remains a masterclass in accessible quality. Lunch sets—including curry rice, chazuke, and assorted rice bowls—cap out at $20, with GST and service charge already folded in. The runaway bestseller is the Iberico pork tonkatsu curry rice ($16.90), a substantial 250-gram portion of acorn-fed Iberico pork, breaded in delicate nama panko and fried to a perfect golden crisp. For a modest $5.90 top-up, diners can add three slices of aged salmon sashimi, a bowl of white miso soup, and unlimited genmaicha.
Dinner: Where Imagination Takes the Wheel
As the sun sets, the menu pivots dramatically. The curry remains a constant, but it’s the daily blackboard specials that steal the show—some appear for a single service only. On a recent visit, the kitchen was offering a rare oyster blade steak, kissed by binchotan charcoal and finished with a smoky-sweet glaze, spring onions, and fried garlic chips. A dab of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon was all it needed.
The ’kaya toast’ appetiser ($12.90) reimagines Singapore’s breakfast staple with a decadent twist. The familiar kaya butter is swapped for a lush negitoro (minced tuna belly) and avocado cream, served on butter-soaked brioche with a soy-marinated onsen egg standing in for the traditional half-boiled version. It’s served on classic hawker plates—a playful nod that hits all the right nostalgic notes.
Equally deceptive is the potato salad ($8.90). Far from a health food, this addictive bowl features crisp-edged discs of USA russet potatoes, deep-fried twice in bacon fat until the centers turn fluffy and rich, then drizzled with a subtly sweet house sauce. For something with a kick, the ’siamtiu’ wings ($11.80 per two) are deboned, stuffed, and fried before being tossed in a zesty green Thai dressing, with a side of spicy chilli sauce that pays homage to chicken rice.
To cut through the richness, the drink chiller is stocked with everything from sake and highballs to umeshu and even off-menu pours.
The Verdict: A Tale of Two Menus
With such a star-studded evening lineup, the curry rice—once the main event— now plays a supporting role. The gravy is darker and more intense than typical Japanese versions, with a deeper, lightly sweetened complexity, and it’s served over Japanese pearl rice dusted with furikake for a welcome umami kick. But after a parade of heavy hitters like the negitoro toast and pork tomahawk, the curry’s nuanced flavors risk getting lost.
The fix? Time your visit strategically. Lunch if you want the curry to shine; dinner if you’re chasing the thrill of the blackboard specials.
Broader Impact
Kuro Kare’s evolution reflects a wider shift in Singapore’s dining scene, where casual eateries are increasingly blurring the lines between hawker convenience and chef-driven technique. The fact that an 18-seat basement joint can confidently serve tonkatsu at noon and grilled tomahawk by night speaks to a growing appetite for versatility.
Visit Kuro Kare at 2 Havelock Road, Havelock 2, #B1-32. Open Monday to Friday, 11:30am–3pm and 6pm–10pm. Note that dinner prices are subject to GST and service charge. Reservations are recommended, given the intimate seating—book via Inline.
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