Located on the southeast edge of the city, Bento Kuma is hard to miss. The building is painted a bright yellow and adorned with a cute bear (“kuma” in Japanese). Stepping inside the new pan-Asian restaurant, I instantly felt the sense of comfort that the family-owned restaurant hoped to evoke. In a room adorned with plushies and toys on shelves, the menu features home-style dishes like beef noodle bowls and Thai stir-fried rice.
I started with a Hong Kong-style milk tea, which is brewed with imported tea leaves and served either hot or iced. Being 24ºC degrees outside, I went iced and enjoyed the bitter kick of orange pekoe balancing out creamy milk.
My server recommended that I try the curry tonkatsu, which another server just happened to deliver to the neighbouring table at that exact moment. One look at the steaming dish laid out on a tray, and I said, “Absolutely.” It featured a delicately fluffy scrambled egg over a scoop of rice, with a breaded pork cutlet and curry sauce completing the meal. The pork cutlet was exceptionally crispy and perfectly seasoned to complement the rice. The Japanese curry glaze coated both the rice and the pork with its characteristically mild and sweet flavour.
Bento Kuma’s promise of comfort extends beyond its menu and decor to the service itself; the servers were happy to strike up friendly conversations with just about every customer. Bento Kuma may be new but it’s already delivering on its concept with care and gracious hospitality.
Bento Kuma
Keswick | 2731 182 St SW, Edmonton | 780.670.0185 | Instagram @bentokuma.yeg
