I have had many fond memories in Hokkaido and friends who heard me raving about my trip would likely recall a mention of soup curry which was one of the recommended things to eat in Japan's northernmost island.
The most famous store was Suage in Sapporo and i almost jumped out of my seat when i read, from J Passport, in June that Suage would be opening a branch in the little red dot! I would so love to have another mouthful of that soup curry right here in hot and humid Singapore!
It definitely didn't take me long to arrange with two other friends (one of whom had tried soup curry before) to Capitol Piazza; it was also the first time i checked out the mall that opened for business in 2015. Guess i need to travel out of Yishun more often on weekends.
Casual dining concept that was much brighter than the Suage restaurant we visited in Sapporo; for someone who relies heavily on lighting for his photographs, i often had sweat rolling down my back when i realized a place was too dim for my amateurish photo taking skill.
Ordering time! Notable differences from Sapporo as follows; free flow water was chargeable at S$0.50 per person (you can choose not to have any) and there was only one size for the rice (you may top up S$2.60 for extra rice).
I actually provided feedback to the staff on duty that the plate of fake rice on display was bigger than what was eventually served and commented they should at least give us a few options similar to their Hokkaido practice. To be fair, the rice provided was imported from Japan and it's a matter of costing; maybe i should cook rice at home and bring it along to the restaurant.
Anyway, there's a set of instructions on how to enjoy your soup curry! I find it amusing as Singaporeans are generally no stranger to curry and we can have curry as a dip, as main meal or even in steamboat as a broth!
Pork Kakuni Curry - i ordered the same thing i had in Sapporo as pork isn't very common in our local curries. Do keep in mind that the pork here in Suage SG was imported from the United States and not from Furano in Hokkaido. I had spiciness level three this time; you can choose from 0 to 10 with 10 being the spiciest.
We added two extra sticks of chicken kushiyaki (S$3.80 for two) to try and was amazed by its soft texture and grilled aroma! I would have loved them better if the skin was more charred though.
The assorted vegetables included half a potato, carrot, broccoli, eggplant, baby corn and half a soft boiled egg. If there's anything you dislike, you can swap it for another; for me, it's obvious i will remove the potato and maybe get eggplant instead.
I do things my way (no, didn't follow the instruction); i poured the soupy curry on my small plate of Japanese rice that's mixed with brown rice and drizzled with lemon. Okay lah, i did take a sip beforehand and the explosion of sour, sweet, savoury and spiciness all perfectly blended in that one sip; so delicious! And that thick yet tender piece of pork belly tasted even better than Suage Sapporo (surprise, surprise)!
With that little amount of rice given (yes, i am still sore about it), i cleaned up everything in no time! I did notice that the soup curry appeared to be thicker for the Singapore's version and by the way, i would consider the egg to be hard boiled, rather than soft boiled. Key question now, would i return? You bet i will and i might really just bring along my home-cooked rice in my next visit.
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Location
13 Stamford Rd, #B2-53,
Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905
(connected to City Hall MRT Station)
Opening Hours
11.30 to 2.30 pm (lunch)
5.30 pm to 9.30 pm (dinner)
Facebook Page
Menu
As above.
Pricing
Pork Kakuni Soup Curry - S$13.80
Chicken Kushiyaki - S$3.80
(Subject to Service Charge and GST)
Additional Information
Vegetarian soup curry options are available even though i personally feel that the prices were comparable to those with meat and if given a choice, i would go for meat without any hesitation!