Lunch Special (Create A Lunch) from Kohan (Steamed Rice w/Beef, Pepper, Green Beans, Scallion, Tofu and Red Curry)
Item Purchased: Lunch Special (Create A Lunch) from Kohan (Steamed Rice w/Beef, Pepper, Green Beans, Scallion, Tofu & Red Curry)
Location Purchased: Kohan Japanese Restaurant / 730 W. Maxwell St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $7.95 + tax
Purchased on: 02/20/07
Review: Japanese cuisine isn’t known for red curries, but I’m smart enough not to beg and choose at the same time. Lunch specials are never a good place to start if you are looking to partake in a cuisine’s specialty dish. You take what you can get and try to order the dishes with ingredients that haven’t been sitting around for days on end. Specials are basically the clearance rack of the restaurant industry, but with a little knowledge and a bit more acceptance, you can sometimes come up with a meal that tastes pretty damn good.
Such is the case with Kohan’s “Create-A-Lunch” specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Stay away from the shrimp and peanut sauce, and you should be okay.
The size of this lunch special is always ample, but it was a great surprise when I received a red curry sauce that tasted better than most Thai cafes I’ve tried here in Chicago. Unexpectedly complex in flavor, Kohan’s red curry seeps into the fresh vegetables, perfectly fried silken tofu (usually I hate silken tofu) and medium-cooked beef strips. Not only did the curry make everything taste jucier than it probably was, but also gave my tongue and nostrils a decent tingle with its ample spiciness.
So, while Kohan has several items on their menu that are sure to be better than this red curry lunch special, you can do a lot worse (and probably will if you go anywhere else on Maxwell St. for lunch.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
March 31st, 2007 at 6:49 am
I’ve figured it out. The only people I know who like/enjoy curry are smokers! (forehead smack) Your tastebuds apparently have to be walloped with a blast of spice before you taste anything. And here I am, tearing up from dijon mustard!
Currying your favor…heh heh,
J.