As anyone who has read probably more than one travel article on this website may know, I am somewhat of a connoisseur of Japanese curry. From my ever-increasing number of articles on the subject and having visited various restaurants and makers of recipes, it should come as no surprise that there are yet more to come. Today’s entry into the annuls of Japanese curries comes from Kitchen Mauni.

Kitchen Mauni is located in the Roadside Rest Area “Hanayaka-Koshimizu” and is an excellent place to get lunch after visiting Koshimizu Genseikaen as it is just down the road. Kitchen Mauni offers a wide variety of food, including various types of curry, soba, takoyaki, burgers, udon and various desserts alongside a seasonal menu.

In addition to the location, the curry drew me here for a very specific reason – the rice is shaped like Hokkaido! They use a mould and press the rice into the shape, topping it off with some red pickled ginger in the corresponding location of Koshimizu. As you eat the curry, you always remember where you are (unless you eat that first, then you are alone)! I ordered the pork katsu curry, which you can see in the photo below.

In addition to the curry, I also had an Abashiri blue cider (it is a sweet cider), the bottle of which looks like this:

Kitchen Mauni is set up like a cafeteria. You order at a ticketing machine, then pass this over the counter to the kitchen staff who prepare your meal. Once they are finished, they will call you to get your order. Also, after you eat, you bring your tray to one of the racks near the kitchen door, so there is no table service here – this is standard in these kinds of establishments in Japan.

Kitchen Mauni: The Verdict

While I would not say that the curry roux or pork katsu was anything special, the shape of the rice was extraordinary! I even asked the staff if they knew where to get the rice mould. Unfortunately, they did not, and I have not found it since, although rice moulds of various shapes are very common across Japan and Japanese websites. If you find it, please let me know in the comments below!

I would not specifically go back to Kitchen Mauni and the Roadside Rest Area “Hanayaka-Koshimizu” for this curry, but I would stop in again to have the rice as long as it was in the same shape!

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