Takeout from The Curry Club and Yuk Dae Jang

Way back when I revisited Zen Curry under its new iteration, Curry Club I had noticed a "Curry Moco" on the menu. I was tempted to order it; but I just really wanted to compare dishes I'd had when the place was Zen Curry, to the new, revised menu. I did make a note to return to try out the Curry Moco. On a recent weekday, the time seemed right to try a Curry Moco, so I headed on over. 

Well, call it a senior moment, it was on a Wednesday and the Curry Club only opens from 5pm – 9pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, duh…..

So, what to do? Well, I thought about Katsu Cafe since it had been a while since my last visit. But, as I walked on over, I passed….

Yuk Dae Jang:

And took a look at the menu.

Well, since it was just me, I wasn't going to be ordering the Bossam nor the YukDae Jang with shredded beef. But, with the cold weather, I thought the Yuk Dae Jang with Soft Tofu ($17.99) might be just the thing. I went in and placed my order and then went across the street and did some quick shopping at 99 Ranch Market. When I returned my takeout order was ready.

It was quite a bit of food.

   This was a bit different than what we'd had before. The baechu kimchi didn't taster fermented this time around; though the Eomuk Bokkeum, the fishcake panchan had a bit of spice and sour tones and was much better. The heukmi bap was on the mushy side.

The YukDaeJang…..in this case basically Soondubu was pretty one dimensional in flavor; good spice, but in need of salt and more savory components. It also had a greasy mouthfeel. This of course ensured that it was hot as heck the entire meal.

The soft tofu was quite nice, beany and creamy.

I think I'll wait on ordering takeout again. The next time, I'll get the Missus to join me and we can get the bossam which I think they do rather well.

Yuk Dae Jang
7307 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesday

Well, I was now more determined than ever to try that Curry Moco. So, that Saturday, having completed all my errands and "JJ duties" I headed on over to the Curry Club, which now has a nice new sign.

The Curry Club:

I walked on in and placed my order choosing the Cayenne Pepper Spice, which I had enjoyed the most on my previous visit.

Here's what the Curry Moco ($16.50) looked like when I unpacked it.

 The cayenne did bring some decent heat to the dish, but I also did the "typical" loco moco move…..I added a touch of Tabasco; the acidity-spice bumped things up even more. Old "loco" habits die hard I guess?

The egg yolk was starting to congeal, but was still slightly runny. I'll attribute this to the 15 minute drive home. The edges were slightly crisp.

   The hamburger patty was quite lean and chewy, but the beefiness did come thru and completed the dish well.

The curry was creamy, with the typical savory-sweet flavor profile, with just a hint of spice.

There was a ton of rice in this. I think the dish could have used a bit more curry.

I did enjoy this and would gladly have it again. I'm wondering why no one else has done this? Or perhaps I just wasn't paying attention to menus? Makes me wonder what else I've been missing??

The Curry Club
7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Tues – Wed  5pm – 9pm
Thurs – Sun 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm
Closed on Monday