I Tried Ordering ‘Kare Raisu’ (Japanese Curry Rice) and Got Something Totally Unexpected
A Simple Curry Lunch Plan That Went Slightly Off Course
When I first arrived in Tokyo, I had one mission: eat my way through Japan, one iconic dish at a time. So on my second day, I walked into a small neighborhood restaurant near Ikebukuro with one goal — try kare raisu (Japanese curry rice).
It sounded easy enough. I’d seen curry rice on countless YouTube videos, and my Japanese was passable. I stepped up to the counter, looked at the handwritten menu board, and confidently said:
“Kare raisu, onegaishimasu.”
The server nodded politely and repeated my order. I smiled, feeling like a local already.
But when the food arrived… it wasn’t what I expected.
🍛 Wait… Is This Curry?
Instead of the rich, thick curry I had imagined — with that familiar warm aroma of spices and hearty potatoes — I got a cold plate of lettuce, shredded carrots, some fried chicken on top, and a small dish of curry sauce on the side.
It wasn’t bad at all. Actually, it was fresh and tasty. But I was definitely not expecting a curry salad.
Later, I found out what I had really ordered: “kare sarada gohan” — a seasonal curry rice salad the restaurant offered in summer. Apparently, I had missed the small word sarada scribbled beside the main listing. Rookie mistake.
😅 What I Learned (So You Don’t Have to)
Ordering food in Japan can be trickier than it seems, especially in small local shops that don’t have English menus or pictures. Here are a few tips I wish I knew:
- Always check for seasonal variations: Japanese restaurants often tweak menu items with the seasons (and it’s not always obvious).
- Ask for recommendations: Saying “osusume wa nan desu ka?” (What do you recommend?) can lead to amazing discoveries.
- Use photos on Google Maps or Tabelog: Sometimes, searching the restaurant name shows photos of actual dishes customers uploaded.
- Don’t assume every kare raisu is the same: Japanese curry comes in many forms—standard curry rice, dry curry, curry udon, curry pan, and apparently, curry salad.
🌟 A Happy Surprise After All
Even though it wasn’t the kare raisu I imagined, the experience made my trip more memorable. I ended up chatting with the staff (with a little help from Google Translate), and they brought me a small bowl of their “real” curry to try. It was delicious — slightly sweet, gently spicy, and worth the wait.
Sometimes, the best travel stories come from the unexpected meals, not just the Michelin stars or top 10 lists.
So if you ever find yourself ordering kare raisu in Japan, double-check the menu—and enjoy the surprise.
🍴 Bonus: What Kare Raisu Actually Is
For those curious:
Japanese curry rice (カレーライス) is a comforting dish made of thick curry sauce, usually served with rice and options like beef, pork katsu, or vegetables. Unlike Indian or Thai curry, Japanese curry is sweeter and milder. You can find it at chains like Coco Ichibanya, or at tiny shokudo (cafeterias) throughout the country.
📍Where I Went (and Recommend)
- Restaurant name: [hidden, but it was a mom-and-pop near Ikebukuro]
- Better place for first-timers: Try Go! Go! Curry or Coco Ichibanya for a solid first curry rice experience.
🧳 Final Thought
Japan is a country where even small food mix-ups turn into meaningful memories. If you’re traveling here, don’t be afraid to get a little lost on the menu — it might lead to something unexpectedly good.
