Wood Island Curry

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Lunch
Price: 1280 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes:Dry Keema Curry
English Menu: No (maybe, they didn't offer one and I didn't ask)
Smoking: No

Wood Island Curry is a fixture in Yokosuka, and quite a tourist attraction in its own right.  It's located directly out of Womble Gate on the right, and you'll frequently see tourists lining up before it opens around 11:30am, especially on weekends.

Dry Keema with special curry spoon

I love the Dry Keema curry here, so that's what I ordered.  It's still Japanese curry flavor, but there is little sauce, just minced meat.  They also add almonds and crunchy peas to the mix (a nod to real keema curry's big peas).  Oh, and there's a sausage in there somewhere.  I quite like it.  I also like their pickle garnish as it seems more natural than the artificially colored ones you frequently see.  It's a bit spendy for the amount and the lack of additional teishoku amenities, but it is an unusual dish.  If you get the Navy Curry meal, you will also get a salad and glass of milk...which is a nice touch.

It's not a Coco's curry, with 10 levels of heat.  It's a mom and pop shop with 3 or 4 menu items and the tiniest kitchen you've ever seen.  There aren't a lot of seats, so get there early if you don't want to wait.  Also while the Mom of the "mom and pop" is a very nice lady, the Pop is a bit Soup Nazi (if you know what I mean).  He's not mean, just a bit stern, so don't try ordering anything fancy.  He's got what he's got, and that's it.

Another thing about this place is it has quite a bit of character.  They seem to always be riding whatever the latest anime tie-in with Yokosuka.  Right now there is a special "red curry" that is tied in with the Arpeggio of Blue Steel anime in theaters at the moment.   They also have a special curry spoon.  I kid you not, this is a spoon designed to make the tortuous process of feeding oneself with a spoon as easy as possible.  There's a little crook in the spoon itself to seeming bring the spoon more in angle with the mouth so you don't have to turn your hands as much.  You can even buy them to take home if you like...

I heartily recommend trying this place out for some truly local Yokosuka curry and character.