Rojiura Curry Samurai (Perth)

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Before reading ❗️

The details 📝

The space

Japan's northernmost and coldest island is home to a range of specialty dishes suited to the frosty weather. Some of the specialty dishes you'll find from Hokkaido include jingisukan (lamb BBQ), their seafood, Hokkaido dairy, Hokkaido butter ramen and you guessed it - soup curry.

Rojiura Curry Samurai 路地裏カリィ侍 (which loosely translates roughly to "backstreet curry samurai") opened its first store April 2007 in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. You'll find around 20 of these branches Japan-wide. Each store is managed directly by Rojiura Curry Samurai, rather than operating as an independent franchise.

The Perth Rojiura Curry Samurai store is owned and run by Nobu-san, a Hokkaido native who previously spent time living in Tokyo. More recently, Nobu-san has spent the past four years living here in Perth (ex-Kailis Bros).

In April 2023, Rojiura Curry Samurai opened their first overseas store in Perth. It couldn't have come at a better time, as Perth transitioned into the colder months.

The space is large and airy. With smooth jazz music playing in the background and plenty of handmade wooden elements and accents, the space makes you feel like you're back in Japan.

Perhaps one of the most interesting finds in the restaurant, is the toilet (and we haven't even gotten to the food yet). Nobu-san, insisted we check out their toilets - a first for us!

We see why Nobu-san was so insistent on this.

There's no fancy TOTO washlet, but you'll find a continuation of the handmade wooden accents, decorations and smooth jazz in the restroom. Some thoughtful complimentary toiletries are available. We definitely appreciate the attention to detail.

A cute addition is the "Customer Voice" book you'll find, which is full of messages from customers. Drop us a comment if you spot us in it!

The food

Meals here are highly customisable. Four soup bases are offered (regular, coconut, vegan and coconut curry) and 11 spice levels are available. Their original bouillon is flown in from Japan. Rice portions can also be upsized or downsized.

A special blend of Hokkaido Kirara 397 rice and glutinous barley is used, giving the rice a texture that well compliments the soup curry.

You'll find each curry has nearly a dozen different vegetables incorporated with the curries.

Flavour wise, we opted for the normal level of spice. Expect a light curry flavoured soup with a stew like consistency. With nearly a dozen vegetables (or 17 if you opt for the SAMURAI.Special or Karaage 17), you'll find a range of different textures to enjoy.

The protein all had a "fall of the bone" consistency and further adds to the tantalising textures. If you grab the chicken Maryland, go with crispy.

It was also our first time trying yasai no sausge (野菜の素揚げ) which literally translates to "fried vegetables without batter". We recommend trying out the fried broccoli garlic (now if only Kirkland sold these as snacks..).

Overall, the curries had a very homey, comforting and umami flavour to it - allowing you to enjoy all the produce in the dish. Consistency is stew like. Spoon each spoonful of rice into the curry and enjoy.

Nobu-san kindly offered us some lassi to try - which we think will go well with the spicer soup bases!

We enjoyed this hyper specialised addition to the Perth Japanese scene and we're looking forward to coming back and trying their different soup bases. Rojiura Curry Samurai also offer an online ordering system for pickup - handy for those living or working in the CBD.

Nobu-san tells us they'll have weekly and monthly specials, so best follow them on Instagram for the latest.

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Before visiting 🚙