Huron Room is now Fist of Curry

Known for its Great Lakes theme and freshwater fish menu, the Huron Room in Mexicantown has transformed nearly overnight to Fist of Curry, with a menu that features curry dishes inspired by Japanese, Indian, Jamaican and Thai cooking.

The change happened quickly and without any hype. Co-owner Jacques Driscoll —who also owns Johnny Noodle King and Green Dot Stables with his wife Christine Driscoll and their business partners Les and Jessica Molnar — said they’ve been working on the concept for a while but decided to keep the change under wraps because “it’s fun.”

“We’ve been working on the menu for six months,” said Driscoll, who debuted Fist of Curry Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve been here the past 72 hours with about 50 people in here. We’ve transformed the place.”

Besides a totally new menu and bar, the Huron Room’s look with natural lighting, blue and white details and zinc tables is gone. As Fist of Curry, the look is more 1970s with browns, oranges and yellows, wooden tables, and more moody lighting.

For the menu, Driscoll said Fist of Curry will “hit all the different regions.”

The menu has vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. Look for tikka masala, smoked tofu, pork katsu, coconut crab and a Jamaican dish that he describes a sweet, spicy and a little fruity, which will be served with a piece of brisket.

“We like to push people’s taste buds a little bit,” he said, but added that not all the dishes are spicy, which some people may think when it comes to curry.

As for the Huron Room, it may pop up in a different location down the road. Driscoll said the restaurant was doing OK, but they really wanted to debut the curry concept.

“We were talking about doing this curry thing somewhere else, but it’s so hard to get buildings now. It’s pricier,” he said.

He said he wants Fist of Curry to be a place where diners can get several styles of curry in one place, and want to hang out and stay for a beer. The full bar will stock a variety of lagers from around the world, and will have Old Speckled Hen on tap, a tip of the hat to the United Kingdom’s love for curry.

Fist of Curry is at 2547 Bagley in Detroit. Call (313) 265-3325. Hours are 3-10 p.m Mon.-Thurs. and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens