Heard all about the Kanazawa Champion’s Curry pop-up at Takashimaya Food Hall that happened in the last week of July — was quite bummed that we did not have much of an opportunity to try it after hearing all about it over social media as the pop-up was during the time period where we were out of town. That being said, we did come across the social media pages of Japan Rail Cafe at Tanjong Pagar by chance; there was a post which they had put up on their social media accounts stating the availability of the Kanazawa Champion’s Curry as a special for the month of August 2023 — a great chance for us to try out what we had missed previously. For those whom are unaware, Champion’s Curry is an establishment that had opened its doors in Kanazawa, Japan since 1961 — the brand itself does have an international presence, with multiple outlets situated in Japan as well as outlets located in the United States. For the Champion’s Curry at Japan Rail Cafe, patrons can opt for either a variant featuring chicken cutlet or one that features a pork cutlet, while the Champion’s Curry also comes with a complimentary drink (either Original Drip Coffee, Cold Brew, Citrus Green Tea, Beauty Tea or Detox Tea) that is served at no extra charge.
The description on the marketing collaterals published by Japan Rail Cafe mentions the Champion’s Curry to come with elements such as sliced cabbage, rice, and a “flavourful Japanese beef curry” — it also bears a slightly different plating from the other Japanese curry dishes which Japan Rail Cafe already offers in their menu; the dish comes served in a stainless steel bowl as opposed to the usual white ceramic bowl that Japan Rail Cafe typically uses. The Champion’s Curry really ticks off all the boxes that defines a standard textbook description of the Kanazawa-style curry; the most satisfying component was definitely the curry roux here. The curry roux comes in a deep shade of brown that is a notch darker than that of the usual Japanese curry; one thing that we really liked about the curry roux was how rich and thick it was — all gooey and absolutely flavoursome. For one, one could definitely taste that slight nuttiness and earthiness of the curry, all that with just a very light touch of meatiness that gives a very subtle gaminess that provides some contrast to the curry roux itself — absolutely a pleasure to have, with a portion that is sufficient to go around the bed of sticky short-grain rice that it comes with. The Pork Cutlet was crispy as promised; the golden-brown breading used for the batter giving a good crunch without being in any way greasy — the pork also being tender and easy to chew through. The sliced cabbage was a delight to have especially when had with a bit of the rice and the curry roux; adds a bit of crunch factor to the dish. At a price of $19++, the Champion’s Curry might be considered a little pricey to some — that being said, this was one of the better Japanese curry dishes that we had come across thus far; definitely something which we would not mind splurging on again if the opportunity to do so prevails again!
