Many are unaware that curry has a diverse international history with many permutations. In the 19th Century, the British developed their own roux-based curry. This style was well received in Japan and spawned off different varieties in the many prefectures of Japan. One such curry entrepreneur is Yoshikazu Tanaka, the founder of Champion’s Curry.
With the closure of the Curry House restaurant chain, I was happy to learn about the opening of Champion’s Curry. They situated themselves in SteelCraft, an outdoor communal dining space in Long Beach. SteelCraft built their space by using steel shipping containers that are used from container ships to railroad cars to semi-trailer trucks.
While SteelCraft has a parking lot, they share this with a couple of businesses. Despite the fact that I arrived at 11:30, I had to park in a residential area about a block away from the establishment. Champion’s Curry is located in the front half of Steelcase, with shaded outdoor seating available.
Craft beer drinkers will be happy to find one of South Bay’s finest, Smog City Brewing, next door to Champion’s Curry. Smog City provides quite a number of their beers on tap. To abide by the state’s COVID guidelines, customers must purchase at least $7 of food to be able to purchase beer.
Their menu is focused on their signature curry. They feature it in curry plates, sandwiches with a curry dipping sauce, and various side dishes such as egg macaroni salad, caesar salad, onion rings, regular and cheese curry fries.
Pork Katsu Curry is available with regular or spicy curry. Good quality pork is used as the pork was tender and not chewy. The centerpiece, however, is their rich thick curry sauce. For me, it is a welcome change over some of the traditional Japanese curries I’ve experienced.
Their Vegetable Curry is ideal for the person watching their carbs because they use cauliflower rice in lieu of Japanese white rice. It is completely immersed in their curry and topped with cubes of fried tofu. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste and execution of this dish. I only wished that it had more tofu.
If you don’t live in the Long Beach area, Champions Curry is a worthwhile destination. Their style of curry is both richer and more flavorful than many of the other Japanese curries presently available. If you are dining with others, there are plenty of other choices at SteelCraft.
Champion’s Curry, 3768 Long Beach Blvd #114, Long Beach, CA 90807; 562.317.4972