First Taste: Fist of Curry brings irreverent kung-fu fun to old Huron Room space
Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press Published 7:01 a.m. ET April 5, 2018
(Photo: Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press)
A Kurosawa film plays on the bar's lone TV hanging above the painting of a clenched fist ostensibly belonging to Bruce Lee as I sip a cold Slovakian lager.
Dragonmead's Final Absolution is just $4 here, but I’m only waiting for carryout. There’s no need to go down that dark path, however good a deal it may be.
The place is decked out in ‘70s regalia -- all tan and mustard yellow and brown. I don’t recall any shag carpet, but it certainly wouldn't be out of place at Fist of Curry, where the aesthetic is decidedly disco-stoner conversion van.
It has been nearly two months since the folks who run Johnny Noodle King and Green Dot Stables — otherwise known as Inlaws Hospitality — quietly closed floundering seafood restaurant the Huron Room in southwest Detroit and revived it just three days later as a ‘70s-themed globetrotting curry slinger with a kung-fu kick.
Fist of Curry — a pun on the title of the classic Bruce Lee film "Fist of Fury" — launched at the corner of Bagley and 18th on Valentine's Day. The place is still getting its proverbial fighting stance down and tweaking its offerings. It may be too early to conduct a full review, but between one dine-in visit and one expansive carryout order, I've sampled almost the entire menu and found a lot more to like than in visits to its predecessor.
The interior of the new Fist of Curry restaurant in southwest Detroit, which suddenly replaced the Huron Room in February. (Photo: Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press)
For starters, there's the concept itself. Sure, you can get both Thai-style and Japanese curries down the street at Takoi and Ima respectively or trek up to Hamtramck for its panoply of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi offerings. But Fist of Curry is perhaps the first restaurant of its kind in metro Detroit to build its identity on the broader concept of curry itself, which originated on the Indian subcontinent thousands of years ago but has been exported around the world and altered regionally in fundamental ways.
The origins of chicken tikka masala, for example, are disputed, but the most widely accepted claim is that it was invented in Scotland, likely by a chef of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent.
Fist of Curry's cardamom-forward tikka masala with either chicken or smoked tofu ($13) is already its most popular item, but there are much better options on the brief menu, which is split into five snacks, six curries, one rotating special, a couple of sides and two varieties of soft-serve ice cream.
Start with the cheese sticks ($6). This clever riff on mozzarella sticks employs melty halloumi cheese wrapped with fresh sage leaves in a crispy wonton roll. The result is lighter and less greasy than the traditional American bar variety and just might be the best thing on the menu. They come five to an order and are accompanied by a spicy tikka dipping sauce sans butter and cream, which allows the tomato and turmeric flavors to shine while being bolstered by a house-made ginger-garlic paste — a base for many of the curries here.
If there's one challenger to the cheese sticks, it's the curry-fried cauliflower ($7), another of the snack options. The florets are battered in rice flour and soda water for an almost tempura-like coating that's also gluten-free. It lends the florets a satisfying crunch despite being drenched in a sweet-and-sour-and-spicy Manchurian sauce. The garnish of cilantro and scallions adds an herbal element that rounds out the dish.
Jamaican jerk brisket curry ($16) from the new Fist of Curry restaurant in southwest Detroit. Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press
The meat version made with chicken drumsticks ($8) is just as satisfying, while the lion salad ($8) deceives you with fresh herbs and hunks of English cucumber before sneak attacking with spice from both Thai and Hungarian peppers and a guajillo chile-infused vinaigrette.
Broadly speaking, the snacks are Fist of Curry's strongest offerings, while the curries themselves could use a little more coaxing in the depth department. (I'm going to make a controversial recommendation here and suggest a dash or two of MSG.) The long-grain basmati rice that accompanies each, on the other hand, is nicely cooked and worth noting.
Of the five curries I sampled, the soft-shell crab rose above the rest thanks to its Thai-inspired coconut curry that's bright with lemongrass and a dusting of sumac. There's crab paste and oil in the curry itself, but while soft-shell is in season, the whole crab is served on the side, lightly breaded and fried to crispy perfection. At $16, this dish represents the top of Fist of Curry's modest price scale.
The Japanese-inspired kare curry ($13) with pork katsu is another I'd recommend. The sauce starts with Japanese curry powder that's enriched with leftover pork juices from sister restaurant Johnny Noodle King and blended with sake, mirin, tamari and fresh Granny Smith apples. It's a silky and mild version of curry, perfect for heat-averse diners.
Other offerings include a smoked tofu curry ($12) that's both vegan and gluten-free, a meaty Jamaican jerk brisket curry ($16), a vegetarian saag halloumi ($12) that I also enjoyed and a rotating weekly special.
One of the biggest misses for me and evidently for a group of early online reviewers as well is the non-naan bread that's offered as a $2 side. The menu describes it as a house-made fry bread and the deep-fried gluten-free flatbreads that come out indeed have more in common with Navajo fry bread than soft, leavened naan -- a key component of so many good curries.
Executive chef and co-owner Les Molnar said he'd never attempt to make naan without a tandoori oven and is instead experimenting with a pizza dough-based flatbread brushed with ginger-garlic butter that will likely make it to the menu next month. That's a smart move and will likely stanch some of the criticism.
On the beverage side, Fist of Curry offers five house cocktails priced at $9 each that employ many of the ingredients you'd find in their curries, like a masala simple syrup. The beer list of nine drafts and 20 bottles and cans is well priced and includes a few surprises — like a nitro-draft Old Speckled Hen for $4 — among some usual suspects.
“Part of our motivation here is to expose people to what's out there," Molnar said. "I’m not some artisan savant when it comes to making curry yet, but we know we can make good food at an affordable price.”
Most important, though, is bringing new life to a concept that should've worked but never took off for a variety of reasons.
"Doing a smaller restaurant like this — Fist of Curry is between 40 and 50 seats — I think you can get away with having some niche fun over here when it comes to cuisine," Molnar said. "We just want to have fun at work. If we can make it as fun as possible and pass that energy on to the guest, that’s something we get a kick out of.”
If that's the goal, then this punny kung-fu curry shop may soon deliver a knockout roundhouse.
A Jamaican bobsled cocktail ($9) from the new Fist of Curry restaurant in southwest Detroit features rum with strawberry and pineapple juice garnished with a whole baby banana. (Photo: Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press)
Fist of Curry
2547 Bagley, Detroit.
313-265-3325 and detroitcurry.com.
Dinner daily.
Irreverent '70s-themed curry joint with small bar and mostly booth seating.
Full liquor license with limited selections.
Reservations accepted.
Contact Mark Kurlyandchik: 313-222-5026 or
mkurlyandc@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mkurlyandchik and Instagram: curlyhandshake.
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