Along with James Beard Award-nominated restaurateurs Johnny and Jimmy Tung of the Bento Group, Shen opened udon noodle house Zaru in 2023, followed this year by Sorekara and UniGirl, his onigiri shop inside Mills Market, which we reviewed favorably a couple of weeks ago.
With Cowboy Curry, his latest concept slated to open in early 2025, Shen will expand his footprint inside the bustling East Colonial Drive food hub, which will also see Top Chef winner Hung Huynh’s shaved ice and dessert stand, Saigon Snow, open next week.
Cowboy Curry, of course, will specialize in scratch-made Japanese curry, a dish Shen says, was “one of my all-time favorite foods growing up.” In fact, the man has been working on his Japanese curry formula for months, tweaking and adjusting the recipe until it struck the perfect balance of taste, texture and color.
“I want to share the magical taste I loved so much as a kid in Japan with the Orlando community.”
And, as the name suggests, Shen will plate the curry with beef (as well as rice) and incorporate the protein in many different ways. Japanese wagyu (A4 and A5 grades), USDA Prime chuck and menchikatsu (or wagyu trimmings) will primarily be used in the curries, with vegetable topping options.
But there’s another meaning behind the moniker: “Uni Girl” is the name of Shen’s pet shiba inu, who also serves as UniGirl’s mascot.
“[She] needed a new friend, so we had to name him Cow Boy.”
How now, brown cow.
Follow @cowboycurryfl for all the updates and dish previews.
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | or sign up for our RSS Feed
This article appears in Dec 4-10, 2024.
