SOUP CURRY KING — Restaurant in Sapporo

During my recent trip to Sapporo, I discovered that curry soup was a must-try when visiting the city. However, all the curry soup restaurants recommended in travel books had long queues stretching for hours. Instead of waiting, I stumbled upon a local favorite that seemed authentic and popular among the locals. Upon arrival, I noticed a significant number of locals patiently lining up. After waiting for about half an hour, it was finally my turn to enter the cozy and intimate restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't very large, with limited seating available. I decided to order a seafood curry soup and a chicken thigh curry soup.

The soup seemed to be crafted from a blend of various ingredients, creating a flavorful broth infused with curry spices. Taking a sip of the soup alone already revealed its delightful sweetness. Additionally, I ordered a cheese-topped rice dish, which was served with a generous slice of cheese on top. Whether it was the quality of the rice or the combination of flavors, the dish was already incredibly tasty.

Compared to regular Japanese curry, the curry soup had a more pronounced aroma of spices, a spicier kick, and a refreshing hint of freshness. I found it to be a delightful and flavorful experience. However, one minor disappointment was the texture of the chicken thigh in the curry soup. It was slightly tough compared to the tender meat typically found in slow-cooked curries.

To complement my meal, I decided to try a unique drink—a yuzu-flavored lassi. It was a special twist compared to the mango lassi commonly served in Indian curry houses.

If you ever find yourself in Sapporo, I highly recommend exploring the local curry soup scene, and this restaurant would be a great place to start. The distinct flavors and the fusion of curry and soup make for a memorable...

Was recommended to try this dish that has become an iconic ‘soul food’ dish in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Had the pre-conceived notion that it would taste very much like a regular Japanese curry, just slightly more watered down. How wrong I was.

This dish doesn’t have coconut milk so it doesn’t feel heavy. It appears to also have a mix of some traditional Indian spices like garam masala, cumin, curry powder. But I was also tasting soy sauce, sake and maybe mirin. We had the pork and the seafood renditions, at spice levels 5 and 2 respectively.

Level 2 was comfortably spicy, whilst level 5 had me breaking into a sweat. My 2 cents is that for the regular Joe who likes a little bit of heat without going stupid, a 4 would be a good balance. The spiciest is at level 14 and I cannot imagine anyone wanting to try that.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and now understand the hype around it.

Service here was also excellent, and prices were...

The food is the only thing that makes this place worth a visit. Very very rushed, with long queue. They also do not accept card, so make sure you have cash. I was literally 20 yen short (that is like 20 cents or like 0.2 us dollars!!!!) and the man at the register literally asked me to go upstairs and find the nearest ATM to withdraw and pay the remainder! Total culture shock!! I’ve been to Japan about 17 times and I’ve been driving around Hokkaido for 5 days now and I have never experienced this before. It is my mistake for not having enough cash, but the only sign that said “we do not accept card” is on the door, and when I entered (I queued up early) the door was wide open so there was no way for me to see it. Anyway, this to me is not Japanese culture because Japanese people have always been extremely kind to me even in the big cities. Regardless the food was good but I still prefer...