Spicier Than Usual Japanese Curry & Addictive Crab Croquettes At Maji Curry From Tokyo

Maji Curry’s Singapore branch is opened by Japanese F&B company Sunpark, who also manages ramen chain Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen and pancake specialist Belle-Ville Pancake Cafe. The original eatery was established in 2018 by founder and CEO of Sunpark, Ken Takagi, in Kanda-Ogawamachi, in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo.

Competition is stiff in the Kanda area, as there are more than 400 curry joints there. Maji Curry made its presence felt just seven months after opening when it won an annual curry festival, called the Kanda Curry Grand Prix, by popular vote among a crowd of 40,000 attendees. The brand now has three outlets in Japan, one in Thailand and another upcoming restaurant in LA.

The cosy, air-conditioned curry rice joint seats 26 indoors (including one large table for a single party of ten), and a dozen outdoors. It’s a little cramped, with scarcely any room to manoeuvre between the tables and counter.

The decor is minimal, with faux “Indian-Turkish tiles” and a collection of spice photos and maps on a backdrop of vivid red depicting curry’s journey from its birthplace on the Indian subcontinent to other parts of the world along the Silk Road, says Ariel Lee, director of Sunpark’s Singapore arm (though it's British sailors who brought curry to Japan).

Their curry – which uses “ten different spices” including cinnamon, black pepper, paprika, fenugreek and ichimi togarashi (Japanese ground chilli pepper), giving it a glossy, burnt orange sheen – is prepped and delivered from a central kitchen. Ditto for toppings like hamburg steaks and cream-filled croquettes, which are then further cooked to order onsite. This arrangement, says Ariel, is in anticipation of the brand’s rapid expansion here, explaining: “We hope to open 50 stores in Singapore and Malaysia within three years.”

The recipe for the curry is almost identical to what’s used back in Japan, except for a stock base, anchored by chicken rather than beef to cater for local tastes and dietary requirements.

There are more than 20 toppings to go with your kare raisu. These plates range in price from $11.50 to $20.50, with an option of adding $2.50 for more short-grain nanatsuboshi rice (a varietal popular in Hokkaido) and curry sauce. Side dishes like Fried Chicken Karaage ($5) and not-so-virtuous pork and chicken katsu-topped salads ($7) are also available, as are a selection of beverages like Indian-influenced Mango and Strawberry Lassi ($4) or Green Tea ($1.50). As they’re still waiting for their liquor license to be approved, alcoholic drinks are not yet available.

Every order comes with a saucer of the brand’s take on fukujinzuke, a Japanese-style pickle that typically accompanies curry rice and is characteristically dyed a lurid red. Maji Curry’s version skips the dye and uses cucumber, radish, eggplant, cucumber and kelp instead. It’s super addictive with a vegetal sweetness that works great as a crunchy palate refresher between spoonfuls of curry.

You also get a heap of crispy, fragrant deep-fried shallots to sprinkle onto your kare – rather unusual, but very welcome. Both accompaniments are free-flow, so help yourself to as much as you’d like.

This nifty $10K machine in the kitchen doles out cooked rice accurately to the gram at the press of a button. After all, the Japanese are known to be big fans of automation.

Note that the restaurant does not accept reservations – so head down well before peak hours if you’re looking to snag the table for ten. Once there, make your orders through a ticketing machine, and wait for staff to serve your grub. According to Ariel, it takes an average of five minutes to churn out a plate of curry rice.

Maji Curry’s signature dish, which won it the title at the 2018 Kanda Curry Grand Prix. The spice-forward curry has an earthy complexity and heat (even though we opted for the least spicy option out of three levels) not common in most other milder, sweeter Japanese curries. It’s pretty aromatic, though somehow a tiny bit lacking in the full-bodied kick we’ve come to associate with savoury stew-like Japanese curries. So here’s where the three-cheese sauce of gouda, mozzarella and cheddar poured tableside comes in – it adds a layer of gooey funk and saltiness that works well with the thickish curry and sticky, chewy rice. Just don’t let the cheese sauce sit around for too long, as it’ll harden and lose its luscious consistency.

Pity the hamburg steak was a bit of a letdown. Made from ground pork, beef and onions, it’s baked in an oven rather than pan-seared or grilled, which means it lacks the requisite deep brown crust that adds flavour. Luckily the meat within is moist and toothsome.

Golden-hued, panko-coated pork katsu sits on a velvety, barely set omelette. The panko crust packs a terrific crunch – yes, even the bit that’s been sitting in curry sauce during our shoot – though the dryish pork loin isn’t as succulent as we’d like. But the creamy folds of semi-cooked egg kinda make up for it.

The chicken karaage topping fares better, as the four sizable chunks of chicken thigh – shatteringly crisp on the outside, juicy and tender within – pack a comforting, tasty bite that stands up well to the curry.

Thin slices of pork belly, kissed with a sweet-savoury combo of shoyu and mirin are sufficiently tender and quite enjoyable on its own, though we find its delicate flavours disappear into the curry when taken together.

Craggy, panko crust gives way to a rich, oozy blend of crab meat and cream filling. Decadently smooth with a mild, oceanic sweetness – we wouldn’t have minded if they left the crab a bit chunkier for better texture though. Be careful when biting into one, as the cream is scaldingly hot.

The accompanying panko-coated tiger prawns ($4 as an add-on to our plate) are just as crunchy with a nicely bouncy texture to the shellfish, though we prefer the croquettes ($11.50 on its own with curry rice) any day. Go all the way and top up $1.80 to add some cheese sauce to this.

Onions, cabbage and mashed potatoes slathered in Kewpie mayo, then sprinkled with crunchy shallots. Yummy paired with the spicy and deep-fried grub.

A little something to beat the heat. The classic version of the Indian yoghurt-based drink is typically served sweet or salty. Think of Maji Curry’s sweet version as a fast food-friendly take – here, it’s served plain, or gussied up with mango and strawberry syrup. Our favourite is the strawberry version, which has a nice balance between fruity sweetness and tang.

Compared to some of the milder, sweeter curries found in other Japanese chain eateries here, Maji Curry’s version is spicier with a noticeable amount of heat. It’s fragrant and comforting stuff, though it could do with a little more of the savoury punch that we often associate with stew-like Japanese curries. While the signature Hamburger Steak Cheese Sauce Curry Rice here is quite yummy, we find the crispy, creamy crab croquettes more addictive, especially paired with the delish free-flow house-made pickles and fragrant fried shallots. Just be prepared for a bit of a squeeze if the cramped dining room is full-house.

Maji Curry is at #02-07 Square 2, 10 Sinaran Dr, S307506. Tel: 9679-5404. Open daily, 11am – 10pm. More info via Facebook and Instagram.

Photos: Aik Chen

All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg