Hotspot: Japanese curry house Kiiro in Rotterdam
Fan of Japanese cuisine? Hurry to Kiiro in Rotterdam, the only place in the Netherlands where you can eat Japanese curry. And in the Land of the Rising Sun, it is more popular than sushi, okonomiyaki and ramen combined.
Japanese curry, huh?
You bet. Alongside the Indians and the Thais, the Japanese also developed their own variation on curry. A long time ago, probably around the end of the 19th century. Today, it is more or less Japan’s version of Dutch stamppot; in many households, curry is on the table at least once a week. Nutritious, healthy, easy to (go ahead and) prepare in advance and, above all: soooo delicious!
Come on then: what’s the secret?
Yessss, of course they’re not telling at Kiiro. Owner and seasoned entrepreneur Robin Bravenboer, known for Three in Hilligersberg and the Ikibana restaurants in Barcelona, often ate curry during business trips to Japan and thought: I want to do something with this in Rotterdam. He took his Dutch chef to Tokyo, ate even more curry with him and had him develop his own recipe. The base consists of a roux with turmeric as its main spice. Hence the restaurant’s interior too: kiiro is Japanese for ‘yellow’. A new batch of curry is made twice a day; one for lunch and one for dinner. A large pan is prominently steaming away in the kitchen. There is little else to see: part of the mystery…
Shall we order, then?
Yes, you do that via a touchscreen kiosk at the entrance. That quickly brings fast food to mind, but that is exactly what they want at Kiiro: to take on the ‘golden arches’ of this world with powerful superfood. At the kiosk, you can choose a pre-set dish (nah) or put together your own curry (yes!). You start with the basic curry and add chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, tofu or vegetarian chicken. Be sure to try the katsu version of the meat: deliciously crunchy thanks to the special breading! You order your drinks at the kiosk too, and can then take them out of the refrigerator yourself. Prefer a Japanese plum wine with it? You pour that yourself too.
Is the curry spicy?
That’s up to you. After choosing your protein, you select your spice level, ranging from normal to extreme. The extremely spicy Japanese sambal even makes the most seasoned Asian customers sweat, so consider yourself warned… On to the toppings for in and on your curry: will you add carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin, or would you rather have mushrooms, edamame or cheese? And will you go full force with the fried garlic slices as a topping, or stick to crispy fried onions and kimchi? The choice is yours. For some extra greens, you can order a seaweed salad, or spinach with goat’s cheese and pumpkin. Not very Japanese either, but tasty: a naan bread on the side. It’s so good for mopping everything up, you know.
Where can we find Kiiro?
You’ll find Kiiro Wijnhaven at Posthoornstraat 524. The addition ‘Wijnhaven’ already gives away something about entrepreneur Bravenboer’s ambitions: branches in the Markthal and the Foodhallen are also in the pipeline. A move to Amsterdam is certainly among the possibilities too. To be continued, then!
Kiiro, Posthoornstraat 524, Rotterdam
Image: Villadinamica
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