The totally underrated local Sapporo dish
I first heard about soup curry from my boss at my first workplace, when I was prepping to go on my business trip to Sapporo. I asked for suggestions for Sapporo, and soup curry was the first thing out of his mouth. Well, I liked regular Japanese curry, so when I got there, I wandered into one of the higher rated ones on Tabelog. It was one of the two Hiri Hiri soup curry restaurants.
The interior had a weird vibe, kind of pop, kind of exotic. I went at a weird time (probably around 3pm) so it was pretty dead inside. Low expectations going in. I sat down in the dimly lit store, and waited for my meal.
A delightful blend of spices, meat, and vegetables
When I tasted the steamed broccoli soaked with the spicy deliciousness of the curry, I was blown away. How could veggies be this tasty?! (At the time, my understanding was that veggies = salad = cold and not very yum.) The chicken was just soft enough, and I just couldn’t get enough of the soup itself! The soup isn’t thick like Japanese curry, or sweet, for that matter. It’s spicy and salty, and the ingredients have soaked it up to perfection. It was a very satisfying meal indeed.
The next day, I had work. For lunch, I craved more soup curry. So I checked Tabelog, and there it was — Hiri Hiri soup curry 2nd store. Honestly, I just ordered the same thing. They have a bunch of other things on their menu, though, including veggie-only options. But their chicken leg soup curry is their standard, and I loved it enough the first time to order it again. 🙂
How does it compare to soup curry in Tokyo?
There are only a handful of soup curry restaurants in Tokyo (that I looked up only because I missed Hiri Hiri so much). In my opinion, they pale in comparison to this place. There’s something about the soup that is just very tasty here. I’ve gone to Sapporo twice, and both times I’ve eaten Hiri Hiri soup curry. Also, the prices are very reasonable — soup curry in Tokyo will run you at least +500 yen. Though that’s not stopping me from eating it in Tokyo too…
There are no disclaimers because I am not affiliated with this store in any way, other than just liking the food. lol.
Pro tip
Go during lunchtime for a slightly better deal. I mean, 1,000 yen for soup curry is already pretty good, but a discount is always better, yeah?
