The first time I saw a bowl of Hokkaido Soup Curry, I didn’t understand it. It was in a small, quiet restaurant in Sapporo, years ago. The air was cold outside, but inside, it smelled like spices I couldn’t place. What arrived wasn’t the thick, familiar brown sauce I knew as traditional Japanese curry. It was a dark, almost translucent broth, filled with large, colourful pieces of vegetables and a whole chicken leg and with just the right amount of spiciness. Rice was served on the side, plain and separate. It felt like a deconstructed dish, a puzzle I had to solve.
That first spoonful was a quiet revelation. It wasn’t a stew. It was a soup—light, yet intensely fragrant and delicious. The flavors were layered and complex, with each ingredient and spice blend contributing to a unique taste profile. It was spicy, but in a layered, aromatic way, not just a flat heat.
This was not the comforting, gravy-like hug of standard curry rice. This was something else entirely: vibrant, complex, and utterly captivating. This was the famous Sapporo Soup Curry, a dish that tells the story of Hokkaido’s unique climate, agricultural bounty, and creative spirit, and invites you to discover a range of different tastes in every bowl.
What is Hokkaido Soup Curry or Sapporo Soup Curry?
A Departure from the Roux – still a Japanese Style
To understand Hokkaido Soup Curry, you must first forget what you know about Japanese curry. The traditional kare raisu is built on a roux—a cooked mixture of flour, fat, and curry powder that creates a thick, stew-like sauce. It’s comforting, hearty, and designed to coat every grain of rice.
Soup Curry, born in Sapporo in the 1970s, throws this convention away. There is no roux. The base is a flavourful, free-flowing broth, often simmered for hours with chicken bones, pork bones, onion, vegetables, and a proprietary blend of spices that includes garam masala, drawing inspiration from South Asia and beyond. The broth is cooked slowly to develop its depth and richness. The result is a dish that feels lighter and healthier, yet possesses a profound depth of flavour.
A Celebration of Ingredients – with fresh vegetables
Where traditional curry simmers its ingredients into soft submission, Soup Curry treats them as individual stars. Vegetables are a hallmark of the dish, and they are not just boiled in the broth. They are often grilled, deep-fried, or blanched separately to preserve their distinct textures and flavours before being added to the bowl. You’ll find vibrant chunks of kabocha pumpkin, crisp lotus root, sweet carrots, tender broccoli, charred eggplant, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, okra, eggplants, and potatoes, all arranged with care. Some vegetables, such as carrots and mushrooms, are cut into small pieces to ensure even cooking and better flavor absorption. Popular variations include vegetable soup curry and vegetable curry, both of which highlight a variety of fresh vegetables.
Seasoning is key, with pepper and coriander commonly used as part of the spice blend to enhance the overall flavor.
The protein is also given special treatment. The most classic choice is a whole bone-in chicken leg, slow-braised until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, its skin often crisped just before serving. Shrimp and beef are also popular protein options, adding different flavor profiles to the dish.
Many soup curry restaurants offer extra toppings to further customize your meal, and the menu typically features a range of choices to suit different tastes and preferences.
The Ritual: How to Eat Soup Curry
Eating Soup Curry is an interactive experience. The rice is served separately for a reason, and you can choose how much rice you want to be served with your soup curry, allowing for a personalized meal. You are not meant to pour the soup over it. Instead, you take a spoonful of rice and dip it into the flavourful broth, creating your own perfect bite each time. The vegetables and proteins, thoroughly stewed until soft, are eaten together with the rice and broth, making each mouthful satisfying. This method keeps the rice from getting mushy and allows the clean taste of the grain to balance the spiced soup. Relish each bite to fully appreciate the rich flavors and textures. It forces you to slow down and engage with your meal.
Finding the Best Soup Curry in Sapporo
Sapporo is the heartland of soup curry, renowned for its abundance of soup curry restaurants and a vibrant array of restaurants serving this iconic dish. Sapporo’s reputation for soup curry is built on a rich tradition, with hundreds of specialty shops, each offering their own unique dishes and secret recipes. The menu at these establishments often features a wide variety of soup curries, allowing diners to choose from different flavors, spice levels, and toppings. Generous servings packed with fresh vegetables and hearty ingredients are designed to fill and fully satisfy, making each meal both delicious and fulfilling. A few names stand out as benchmarks for anyone seeking the best Soup Curry Sapporo has to offer.
Soup Curry Garaku: The Crowd Favourite
You will likely see long lines and a queue outside Garaku before you see the restaurant itself. It is one of Sapporo’s most famous shops, known for a well-balanced broth that blends Japanese dashi with chicken and pork stock. Their “Tender Chicken Leg and Vegetables” is the quintessential bowl—rich, savoury, and packed with beautifully prepared vegetables. It’s a perfect entry point into the world of Sapporo Soup Curry.
Soup Curry Samurai: For the Vegetable Lover
Samurai is another iconic name, with a focus on sourcing incredible vegetables. One of their signature dishes is the “vegetable soup curry,” which features an abundant, colourful landscape of seasonal produce from Hokkaido and highlights the nourishing, wholesome qualities of the dish. Their famous “Chicken and 20 Kinds of Vegetables” curry is also a standout. The bowl is a work of art, and their broth tends to be a little richer and thicker than others, offering a deeply satisfying meal.
The Hokkaido Soup Curry Singapore Scene
For those of us who can’t just hop on a flight to Hokkaido, Singapore has thankfully developed its own small but dedicated soup curry scene. Finding authentic Hokkaido Soup Curry in Singapore has become easier over the years, with a few key players faithfully recreating the experience.
Suage Singapore: A Direct Taste of Sapporo
When it comes to authentic Hokkaido Soup Curry in Singapore, Suage was the name that came to mind. As an outpost of a famous Sapporo chain, it brought a genuine taste of the city to our shores. Located in Capitol Singapore, the restaurant was simple and unpretentious, focusing entirely on the food.
The Suage Experience
Ordering there mirrored the process in Japan. You chose your main ingredient, your soup base (the original Suage, a squid ink-based black soup, or a coconut-based white soup), and your spice level. The “Crispy Shiretoko Chicken” with the original soup base was a popular choice.
The chicken arrived with unbelievably crisp skin, a stark contrast to the tender meat underneath. The broth was fragrant, lighter than Garaku’s but layered with spice. It was clean and invigorating. The vegetables were the other heroes—a bright green sprig of broccoli, a perfectly cooked potato, a sweet carrot, and a golden-fried gooey cheese mochi. Each element retained its integrity. Eating it felt both nourishing and exciting.
SAMA Curry & Cafe: A Different Interpretation
Another notable spot for Hokkaido Soup Curry in Singapore was SAMA. With a more casual, café-like atmosphere, SAMA offered a slightly different take. Their broths had a pronounced tomato base, giving them a tangy sweetness.
The SAMA Bowl
Their popular “Marathon Chicken” featured a tender chicken leg in a broth that could be customized with different spice levels, amusingly named from “baby bear” to “crazy bear.” The vegetables were generous, and the overall feel was comforting and accessible. While perhaps less complex than Suage’s broth, it was a hearty and enjoyable bowl that satisfied a soup curry craving.
Current Situation in Singapore
Unfortunately, both Suage Singapore and SAMA Curry & Cafe have since closed down, making it impossible to find authentic Hokkaido Soup Curry in Singapore at this time. For now, those craving this unique soup dish must look to Sapporo itself or other locations where the tradition continues to thrive.
Exploring Sapporo’s Soup Curry Scene: Beyond the Bowl
Sapporo’s vibrant food culture is deeply intertwined with its neighborhoods, each offering its own unique take on soup curry. For locals, soup curry is more than just a meal—it’s a beloved comfort food that reflects the city’s rich culinary heritage and community spirit.
The Heart of Sapporo: Chuo Ward and Susukino Station
Many of the city’s most famous soup curry restaurants are located in Chuo Ward, the bustling central district that serves as the commercial and entertainment hub. Near Susukino Station, a lively area known for nightlife and dining, you’ll find numerous celebrated soup curry spots. T
his proximity allows locals and visitors alike to enjoy a hearty bowl after exploring the vibrant streets or unwinding from a night out. The restaurants here often blend traditional flavors with innovative twists, showcasing the creativity that defines Sapporo’s culinary scene.
Accessibility via Sapporo Station
Sapporo Station, the city’s main transportation hub, is another key area where soup curry thrives. Its convenience makes it a favorite starting point for both locals and tourists eager to dive into the local cuisine. Around the station, you’ll find a variety of soup curry restaurants catering to different tastes and budgets, from cozy eateries serving classic recipes to modern establishments experimenting with new soup bases and spice blends. This accessibility helps maintain soup curry’s status as a daily comfort food for many residents.
A Dish Loved by Locals
For locals, soup curry is more than a trendy dish; it’s a staple that warms the body and soul, especially during Sapporo’s long, cold winters. The dish’s balance of spicy broth, fresh vegetables, and tender meats reflects the region’s agricultural bounty and culinary influences. Many locals have their personal favorite spots, often frequenting neighborhood restaurants near their homes or workplaces. The communal aspect of enjoying soup curry—sharing recommendations, trying new variations, and savoring the meal together—strengthens its place in Sapporo’s food culture.
Visiting the Neighborhoods
When exploring Sapporo, taking the time to visit different neighborhoods like Chuo Ward and areas around Susukino Station and Sapporo Station offers a delicious journey through the city’s soup curry landscape. Each district brings its own flavor and atmosphere to the dish, making every bowl a unique experience. Whether it’s the classic, richly spiced broths favored near Sapporo Station or the bold, experimental flavors found near Susukino, soup curry remains a testament to the city’s culinary diversity and the passion of its locals.
A Dish with Soul
Hokkaido Soup Curry is more than just a meal; it’s a reflection of its home. It showcases the region’s incredible produce, from its sweet vegetables to its fresh poultry. It embodies the creative, independent spirit of Sapporo. It is a dish born of cold weather, designed to warm you from the inside out.
Whether you’re queuing in the snow for the best Soup Curry Sapporo can offer or dipping your spoon into a bowl right here in Singapore, the experience is the same: a moment of pause, a discovery of layered flavours, and a deep appreciation for a dish that dared to be different. It’s a puzzle that is immensely rewarding to solve, one spoonful at a time.
