Born in the 1970s in Hokkaido’s Sapporo, the soupier version of curry has finally made a breakthrough in Tokyo as well in recent years. Topped with big, juicy pieces of meat and vegetables, and carefully seasoned with herbs and peppers, soup curry has many dedicated fans who sing its praises and dismiss standard curry and rice as inferior. They do make a pretty decent point when arguing that soup curry is infinitely customisable and far healthier than the thick, greasy standard version. Enter the fray and make your own evaluations with our authoritative top ten of soup curry eateries in the city – who knows, you might become a convert yourself…
1.Sapporo Dominica Ginza
The Tokyo branch of Sapporo’s famed curry makers Dominica recreates the Hokkaido experience with their simple but powerful speciality, which features a mix of standard bouillon and Japanese dashi-based soup, vegetables, and both pork and chicken meat. First-timers might want to go for the ‘golden chicken’, a bird cooked so soft that it’s easy to cut with a spoon and drowned in delicious, veggie-heavy roux.
AEDRESEED
TM Ginza Bldg 2F, 3-4-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku
Tokyo
Contact:
www.s-curry-dominica.com
03 3231 1347
Transport:
Kyobashi Station (Ginza line), exit 3
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 11am-10pm; Sat, Sun & hols 11am-9pm
2.Soup Curry Audrey Kanda
Soup curry doesn’t come much better than at this Jinbocho restaurant, which adds goodies like 100-percent domestic beef hamburg steaks and chicken legs to its creations. The dinner-only ‘cheese curry fondue’ is worth a shot, and that’s not just because of the curiosity factor.
Details
Address:
3-10-18 Kanda-Ogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo
Contact:
03 5280 8228
Transport:
Jinbocho Station (Mita, Shinjuku, Hanzomon lines), exit A5
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 11am-3.30pm, 5pm-10.30pm; Sun & hols 11am-9.30pm / closed Sat
3.Soup Curry Spice x Smile
Looking more like a tiny café than a restaurant, this Suidobashi curry house shouldn’t be judged by appearances. Three kinds of soup (standard, soy milk, or tomato) are available, but it’s the soy milk-based version that really draws customers. Packed with pork and chicken, this mildly spicy curry also includes a wealth of veggies like eggplant, bell peppers and onion. The spiciness can be adjusted on a scale from one to seven.
Details
Address:
1-25-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo
Contact:
spice-smile.on.omisenomikata.jp
03 3830 5677
Transport:
Korakuen Station (Namboku, Marunouchi lines); Hongo-Sanchome Station (Oedo, Marunouchi lines); Suidobashi Station (Sobu, Mita lines)
Opening hours:
Mon-Wed 11.30am-3pm, Thu-Sat 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-9pm / closed Sun, 2nd Mon of every month
4.Udon
Time Out says
Never mind the name – this is a curry shop, and a pretty special one at that. They’ve come up with their original version of the soup curry that’s supposed to be eaten without mixing in the rice with the soup. The custom takes some getting used to at first, but actually works pretty well. The ‘night soup’ (¥800) is a safe choice for first-timers, and consists of juicy chicken and a slightly oily but oh-so-good basil soup. Tends to get crowded around noon, so going around 2pm is recommended.
Details
Address:
2-31-5 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo
Contact:
www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~udon/sub3.htm
03 5434 2308
Transport:
Gotanda Station (Yamanote, Asakusa lines); Osaki-Hirokoji Station (Tokyu Ikegami line)
Opening hours:
11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-9pm / closed Sun & hols
5.Yellow Company
Ebisu’s soup curry specialists serve up a mean chicken curry, but also deal in pork- and beef-based versions. Curry-compatible drinks like lassi and chai are available, and take-out is OK too.
Details
Address:
Oak Hills Bldg 1F, 3-14-19 Higashi, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
Contact:
www.yellowcompany.jp
03 5485 2723
Transport:
Ebisu Station (Yamanote, Saikyo, Shonan-Shinjuku lines), west exit; (Hibiya line), exit 2
Opening hours:
Mon, Tue 11.30am-4pm; Wed-Sun 11.30am-4pm, 5pm-9.30pm