Suage + Soup Curry near Susukino Station - As Good As Claimed @ Sapporo [Hokkaido, Japan]

Most travellers are likely to focus on fresh seafood for all their meals in Hokkaido but not only would that burn a hole in your pocket, it's not exactly the ONLY representative where food is concerned.

Surprisingly, soup curry has taken root in Hokkaido's food arena and we are not even talking about the Japanese kind of curry commonly sold in Singapore! After that invigorating soup curry meal at Celan, let us now proceed to the restaurant claimed to be the best; Suage.

Even on TripAdvisor back in August, the Suage branch near Susukino subway station at Sapporo is ranked #01 out of 8,548 restaurants! As of today, it's ranked #03, which isn't a small feat considering the large number of dining establishments it's competing against.

Things to note when visiting the original Suage; restaurant is on level two but lift doesn't stop there, English menu is available, no smoking and payment is by CASH only.

For a restaurant with such a high ranking, i was shocked to find the place almost empty of hungry diners! The thought going through my mind was "is this the right place"? My google map confirmed it's correct though. Maybe i was thinking too much as i did visit during non-mealtime; i.e. before 5 pm.

Possibly the works of diners? Ordering was straightforward with five steps; choose the kind of curry, choose the kind of soup (basic or squid ink), choose the spicy level, (1-6 with 6 being the spiciest), choose the size of your rice (small at 150g, medium at 200g and large at 350g), and finally, do you want extra toppings and drinks.

No drinks for us as Japanese restaurants, like Korean restaurants, would always serve plain water and i guess i drink too much sugary beverages when i was young; prefer plain water nowadays.

Braised Furano Pork Kakuni - i can't resist pork when it's available and this included not just braised pork belly but also potato, carrot, pumpkin, eggplant, boiled egg and young corn; all swimming in a basic suage soup with a spice level of 2.

Can't recall whether i asked for 150 grams or 200 grams; however, both were served free while the larger size of 350 grams would require a charge of 100 yen. The 100 yen would be waived during lunch time from 11.30 am to 5.00 pm. In case you are wondering, they are mixed with wild rice. p.s. i think the wild rice refers to brown rice.

Time for me to indulge and compare the differences with Celan! Said to be stewed from sauteed onions and chicken, the broth was spicier for level two although i found the taste to be more wholesome with a flavourful touch that's a notch higher than Celan!

The Furano pork was thickly sliced and while it didn't command the same tenderness as Celan, there's a smoky aftertaste (thanks to the meat being flamed grilled) that marvelled my taste buds! There's one disappointment; i only had two slices in my bowl... I should have topped up 350 yen for extra pork... :(

Polished up everything!

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Location

Sapporo-shi Chuo-ku Minami 4-cha West 5-chome 

Toshinmatsu Building 2F (Norbesa southern),

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Location MapCheck out under the label for "Soup Curry Suage plus" under header "Sapporo (09 Aug)".

Operating Hours
11.30 am to 10.30 pm 

(Last order at 9.30 pm)

Menu

As above.

Pricing
Braised Furano Pork Kakuni - 1,150 yen

(inclusive of GST)

Additional Information

There are two other branches in Sapporo although i find this branch i went to is the most convenient as it is located near a subway station in a heart of Sapporo that's also near to Tanukikoji Shopping Street.

For my itinerary (8 days, 7 nights) to Hokkaido during summertime, click here.