カツカレーと呼んでもいいですか？福幸亭の福幸亭風カツ（カレーソース） : Fukukou Tei

After spending a few hours in Nakakaruizawa, Hoshino area (Harunire Terrace),
I made my usual stop at the "Karuizawa Ginza" in Old Karuizawa...

I feel like if I don't eat a mocha soft serve at Mikado Coffee and buy bread from Asano-ya,
I haven't really been to Karuizawa. Is it just me?

Fortunately, I have a friend who owns a villa in Kitakaruizawa,
and when I got my driver's license around the age of 20, I practically lived there...

But this time, something felt different...
My outfit was a bit brightly colored...
and I sensed an odd feeling among the people walking around... I realized right away.

The loud chatter was in Chinese, not Japanese.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that about 70% of the tourists were Chinese.

Of course, it's not a bad thing...
but I can’t help but feel things have changed...
There were several shops in a complex building that had closed down.

This was a weekday in May.
I wonder how crowded Old Karuizawa is during the high season?

Anyway, after walking around Nakakaruizawa and Old Karuizawa as the sun began to set,
it was finally time for dinner at a restaurant I was determined to visit during this trip...

The place is called Fukukou Tei.
With a name that suggests eating here will bring happiness, it's auspicious indeed!
Located back in Nakakaruizawa, I turned around from Old Karuizawa to get there.

I programmed the restaurant's name into the navigation system and easily arrived.
Although situated in Nakakaruizawa, it’s not in a tourist area but in a regular residential neighborhood.
As you can see, it's a kaiseki restaurant,
but the dish that everyone raves about here is...

Katsu Curry.

Being the first customer of the evening shift, I entered the restaurant to find an elderly woman and her son,
who I assumed was helping her manage the place.

Looking at the menu...

Fukukou Tei Style Katsu with Curry Sauce.

Oops, my mistake.
I shouldn’t have casually called it Katsu Curry.

Since we were visiting as a couple,
we each ordered a piece of the Fukukou Tei Style Katsu: one tenderloin and one loin.

The mother and son were chatting as they prepared the dishes...
the sound of the meat being pounded... and the crisp frying of the tonkatsu filled the air
with a delightful aroma of fried pork cutlet and the subtle scent of spicy curry sauce.

Here it comes...

This is my first time seeing this style of Katsu Curry.

It's basically katsu topped with curry sauce, served with rice,
as well as miso soup (with shijimi clams) and pickled vegetables.

The katsu is delicious!
I enjoy tonkatsu, but as I’ve gotten older, I tend to think about it more
and I usually only indulge on special occasions. This was truly amazing.
The rich flavor of the meat and the delicious fat is perfectly concentrated in each bite,
with no heaviness from the frying...

The curry sauce lived up to the reputation of its deliciousness.
It's a European-style base, but without the overly sweet flavor of caramelized onions,
it's spicy, complex, and doesn’t feel heavy. The moderate acidity is also nice.
I believe the curry sauce has been carefully crafted to complement the katsu perfectly.

Additionally, the rice was exceptionally good, bringing tears of joy to any curry rice lover,
and the accompanying miso soup and pickled vegetables felt worthy of the restaurant's pride as a kaiseki establishment.

At JPY 975 for the loin and JPY 1285 for the tenderloin, this is an incredible value.

I was left in awe by the Fukukou Tei Katsu with Curry Sauce.
I definitely want to stop by again when I visit Karuizawa.

The elderly mother handling the serving,
is in her advanced years, but I truly hope she remains healthy and
continues to provide us with delicious meals for many years to come.
I sincerely pray for her well-being.

Before it gets cold, I need to plan my next visit to Karuizawa...