Spice Curry Kiteretsu

I had always thought that spiced curry originated in Osaka, but it seems that Kyushu has its own spiced curry culture called “Kyushu Lanka”. It is a spiced curry inspired by Sri Lankan curry. A little research tells me that the original Kyushu Lanka restaurant, Nuwara Eliya, was established in 1988, so counting from there, Kyushu’s spiced curry culture started more than 30 years ago.

Naturally, I was in the mood to try Kyushu lanka, so I visited Spice Curry Kiteretsu, a curry specialty restaurant in Kyoto that serves Kyushu Lanka, on the same day. If you are also curious about what Kyushu lanka is like, please continue reading this article…

The former manager of the popular spice curry restaurant “CURRY & BAR 240” opened an actual restaurant after a period of renting a room… Spice Curry Kiteretsu is a curry shop like this…

Let’s start with a brief introduction of Spice Curry Kiteretsu. The owner of this restaurant, Ryosuke Tokumasu, was the manager of CURRY & BAR 240, a pioneer of combination curry in Kyoto. He quit the restaurant because it was difficult to balance his band activities, but decided to reopen the restaurant in November 2021 after a while of renting a room to serve curry. Since the restaurant was very popular through SNS when it was a rented shop, it quickly became popular after he opened the actual shop and became recognized as one of the best spice curry specialty stores in Kyoto.

Now, when I went to the Spice Curry Kiteretsu, I found a numbered ticket issuing machine like this in the storefront. You can use the store without a reservation, but without a reservation, it seems that you have to issue a numbered ticket from this machine and wait outside the store. I visited the restaurant around 1:00 p.m. on a weekday, and at that time there was only one customer waiting outside, and after less than 10 minutes of waiting, a waiter called from inside the restaurant to enter. The restaurant has 11 seats in total, including five L-shaped counters and three tables for two people. For a spiced curry restaurant, the atmosphere of the restaurant is quite ordinary, or rather, simple and unadorned.

Kyushu Lanka in Kyoto for the first time! How was the popular menu item at Spice Curry Kiteretsu, the Kiteretsu Lanka Special, when I actually tried it?

Let me introduce the restaurant’s popular menu item, the Kiteretsu Lanka Special (priced at 1,500 yen including tax), which I ordered at Spice Curry Kiteretsu that day. No additional toppings, no extra rice, and two levels of spiciness to choose from: medium and hot, but this time I chose hot.

After finishing the order and waiting about 10 minutes, the Kiteretsu Lanka Special was brought in front of me…

A watery curry came out with a fried egg topping on the center rice. According to the restaurant’s menu, this one plate includes the main Sri Lankan chicken curry (that is, this is what they call Lanka), potato curry, bean curry, side dishes, fried egg, cheese, and pakuchi. By the way, if you do not like coriander, ask to have it removed.

So let’s try the Lanka… It is a tropical flavored watery curry with a coconut flavor, but behind the coconut, there is a unique soup stock feeling. The spice itself is also effective, but it does not come with a strong kick, rather, it is a taste that is strangely familiar.

On the other hand, the spiciness, which I am concerned about, did not seem too strong to my tongue. It is probably not as spicy as medium-spicy curry on the market, so even those who don’t like spicy food can eat it with relative peace of mind.

Even if the spiciness doesn’t suit your taste buds, don’t worry, this curry has many items that can soften the spiciness. For example, the fried egg topped on top of the turmeric rice. The yolk is semi-cooked, so if you mash the egg and blend it with the curry, the spiciness will be greatly reduced. Also, cheese is topped under this fried egg, and it is good to eat the melted cheese with curry. Curry and cheese…a devilishly delicious combination that could corrupt your life. You can enjoy this devilish combination to the fullest in this Kiteretsu Lanka Special.

The Kiteretsu Lanka Special is also equipped with a variety of other flavor-altering items, such as bean curry, achar, and coriander…naturally, there is no way to say that it is “bad”. I recommend the Kiteretsu Lanka Special at Spice Curry Kiteretsu. If you like spice curry as much as I do, you should take the opportunity to visit one of the restaurants in the Kansai region.

Examples of other menu items from Spiced Curry Kiteretsu (prices include tax)

• South Indian Special 1,600 yen
• Vegetable Combination Curry 1000 yen
• Kerala Katsu Curry 1,500 yen
• European Chicken Curry 1000 yen
• European Curry with Pork Cutlet 1400yen
• Kiteretsu Kashmir (Dry) 1000 yen
• Tom Yam Noodle 1500 yen

Spice & Ethnic Shop Kiteretsu Tairiku is located on the second floor… Access to Spice Curry Kiteretsu is an 11-minute walk from the nearest station, Saiin Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

Spice Curry Kiteretsu also operates the spice and ethnic store Kiteretsu Tairiku on the second floor of the same building. After lunch, I stopped by for a quick look and found nearly 50 kinds of spices on display. You can buy spices from as little as 50g, so there seems to be no need to worry about running out and having too many spices left over. If you make spiced curry at home, why not stop by and see what kind of spices they have? Now, here are the details of the store…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious curry in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…