Update: On a trip back to Volcano on 9.11.09, I found that many of my issues had been addressed, most importantly the paper plates and plastic spoons. Hence, we're upgrading Volcano from its original "2" rating to a "3." The original review is below. -- Chris

Original review 4.13.09: As only the second restaurant in San Francisco to focus entirely on serving Japanese curry, Volcano is on the front lines of promoting this most perfect of foods in America. Sadly, it's not pulling its weight: Volcano's curry is indeed better than most SF eateries' take on the dish, but it's still miles away from what you can get on any street corner in Tokyo.

The Geary corridor in San Francisco's Outer Richmond district is densely packed with ethnic restaurants of every persuasion, including many popular Japanese restaurants like Kitaro and Genki Ramen. Few of these serve curry, however. The sushi place on 22nd, now called Little Tokyo, used to feature a big hot plate of very good katsu curry, but hasn't had it on the menu in years.

Enter Volcano. Actually, it used to be called Hana Sushi Bang, and was just another one of the many, many sushi bars that dotted Geary. One quick makeover later, and they're serving up the hottest new Japanese food craze to hit America. But they're not doing it especially well. Volcano does get points for being the only curry joint in San Francisco to offer such classic toppings as cheese and sausage, and for being the only one open on weekends. Unfortunately, the curry itself is sub-par, and the presentation is…

…well, it's quite a mess, isn't it? Compare the image above to Muracci's elegant presentation and ovular bowl. Volcano's chefs just throw everything haphazardly onto a paper plate, and devil may care where the pieces fall. Curry, katsu, rice all mixed up, random pieces of carrot, boiled potato with skin, and grilled zucchini under the rice, under the katsu, under the cheese. Cheese on the katsu, not in the curry where it's supposed to go. Pickles dropped anywhere. A golf ball of a cocktail onion.

The curry sauce tastes better than the average restaurant curry, but is a bit runny and thin. Hilariously, I was given a plastic fork and knife with which to eat this soupy brown sauce. Yes, you can in fact pick up some curries with a fork. Volcano's is not one of them.

Japan is a country obsessed with wrapping and presentation. Volcano's curry would benefit from a little bit more attention paid to the composition of the plate -- ditching the plastic and paper for real silverware and table settings would be a start, followed by putting everything in its proper place instead of throwing it all into a ridiculous pile.