At 2:30 in the afternoon I arrived at Curry House Colombo, and one customer was already waiting; within moments three more lined up behind me.
The counter-only seating, just eleven stools, stays full at all times, with a staff of four keeping things moving.
It was not lunch or dinner hour, yet the line kept growing, and I could feel just how popular this place is.
I sat down at 2:45 and ordered the Stamina Katsu Curry with a smaller portion of rice.
A regular serving is 350 grams, and even the smaller size comes to 250 grams, so I had a good sense of what was coming before the bowl arrived.
An empty plate was set down first, and partway through the meal of the customer beside me, a staff member asked, "Would you like more curry?"
Just as I had heard, the shop offers a free curry top-up.
Sapporo hit 25 degrees Celsius that day and the dining room felt quite warm; I found myself bracing at the thought of what 30 degrees would feel like.
The curry arrived at 2:55.
The sauce was notably thin and distinctly spicy, though a fruity sweetness followed close behind.
The katsu, both meat and breading generous, paired beautifully with the thin curry.
As my portion of roux ran low, I asked for that same top-up, and more curry was ladled in.
With a cutlet, a raw egg, and a boiled egg alongside the 250 grams of rice, I was thoroughly full.
I finished with a scoop of vanilla ice cream before heading out.
Side by side at the counter, each person sat quietly facing their own bowl of curry.
