Toronto has been through love affairs with sushi, ramen and, most recently, yakitori. One Japanese dish that’s never quite taken off is Japaneses-style curry, which tends to be dwarfed by other bossier curries (India and Thailand, we're looking at you). Traditionally, curry from the Land of the Rising Sun is available as curry rice, curry udon and curry bread, which sees curry stuffed into bread and deep-fried. At Manpuku, a standalone restaurant tucked into the Village by the Grange, both the rice and udon versions are available.

At the relatively small eatery, which comes complete with a classic U-shaped bar, the curry udon is offered in beef, pork or veggie versions ($5.99). We went with the recommended beef version, which sees tender hunks of beef along with carrot and potato piled atop a mound of udon noodles. A thin curry soup base is ladled into the bowl and all is finished with green onion. Aiming to add a little more spice to the dish? Shake some Nanami Togarashi spice mix onto the goods. Just don’t expect Thai-level heat—this is far more subtle.

Manpuku, 105 McCaul St. Units 29-31, 416-979-6763