Curry House (no not the same one)

So like I said, this Summer I went on a curry bender. Last year it was beef noodles, this year it became curry of every variety... katsu, beef, chicken, plain, and in this instance even with tofu! Lost amongst an amalgam of computer and electronics stores is this small alley, whose name I have absolutely no clue about (it's located at the old 光華 market, near 忠孝 or 'Zhong Xiao'). Inside you can still find the old time electronics places, selling parts for far less than market value should be (also of questionable origins), as well as various assorted music and movie stores, and some drink stands that specialize in bubble teas. As you wander deeper and deeper into the recesses of the alley, you'll find more interesting shops... the same tempura shop that I talked about before (but bastardized into a chain and also worse in quality), a variety of... ahem... adult entertainment establishments, and finally you nearly reach the end which houses 6 or 7 different restaurants. Like I said, this Summer I went nuts over curry, so I side stepped the 3 beef noodle places, the fried dumpling place, the scallion pancake stall, and the other Japanese restaurant and walked straight into 咖哩屋 (Curry House... see how creative Taiwanese people are at naming?). A small unattractive sign adorned the door, barely visible, and the entrance was so narrow that only 1 person could squeeze through. The inside was no better, filled with about 10 tables made of imitation wood and seats that were almost all rusting and wobbling... but it was packed. What gives? Of course curiosity got the best of me, I had to try their food


Well, upon first looking at the menu I understood. The food was crazy cheap. I think my curry tofu was 55 NT ($1.60 or so), and my croquette... affectionately known as 可樂餅 (cola pancake) was + 10 NT (33 cents) if purchased with another bowl. This combined with the fact that it's located not far from the National Taiwan University of Technology (NTUT) explained everything. College students are poor, curry tastes good, curry is cheap... recipe for success. In any case, the food was decent, much better than the price (although nothing gourmet). My tofu curry was spicy enough, and fulfilling enough to warrant the price. The reason I can't say anything more is because it was what it was, good and cheap. The pancake however was pretty excellent, it's essentially a potato pancake with various Chinese vegetables, curry, onions, and I believe shrimp. Nice and crispy, piping hot, but not drenched in oil... it was definitely a steal at 10 NT. Would I recommend this place? Yeah, sure, if you're a poor college student. If you're a tourist though, and you want to try local fair, then fine... go to it, but don't make a special trip to find this (unless you're somehow a pervert and in the market for adult movies anyway... in that case, knock yourself out :D).