Continued from the last post – here. You can also read the start of our journey – here.
The next day, we took our time to get out of our condo. Our goal was to stop by Yuiga Doxon for lunch as they opened at 11am and then head out from there for our self guided sight-seeing tour of Furano and Biei. Yuiga Doxon is one of Furano’s most established eateries. It is located in the main portion of Furano, and is housed in what can only be described as a wooden cabin surrounded by trees. It looks out-of-place compared to the more modern city-like buildings surrounding them.
They are famous for their curry, which is reputed to use 29 different spices to make their own sauce from scratch and they also make their own smoked sausages.
Although it’s a bit cramped inside, it was comfortable and was very rustic. Business cards, train tickets, and posits with messages lined the walls. Lots of exposed wood and random European looking relics like lamps, paintings, and rugs gave it a homey feeling. I really like the uniqueness of the restaurant.
The kitchen was pretty small but the staff was very efficient. They needed to be, as the lines got longer and longer while we waited to get our food.
The menu is handwritten and conveniently has English.
If you can make out the english letters at the bottom that wraps around of the menu cover, it says “If you need more sauce, bring your plate to the counter and say “Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru”. Looks like they have been using this menu for a while.
I ordered the special which had ox tongue curry, house-made sausage, and omelet over rice. It came with grilled potatoes and a small salad. The pairing of omelette rice and curry is called “Omukare” and is a specialty in Furano.
Although I have had darker curry in Japan, the curry here is pretty dark in color, almost black. . It has a nice smokey taste and was rich and complex. The level of heat was just right, and you could turn up the heat more with their home-made hot chili paste on the table. The ox tongue was cooked perfectly where it was soft and tender, but not overcooked to the point of loosing its taste. The house-made smoked sausage was deliciously smokey and the spices used also complimented the curry.
The omelette was soft, fluffy, and delicate. It was creamy inside as it was still a little runny in the middle. Overall, the omelet paired very well with the richness of the curry sauce. You can make out the rice here which was perfectly cooked and matched very well with the sauce and omelet.
There was more than enough sauce, that I did not need to go up to the counter with my plate to say “Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru”. Yuiga Doxon also brews their own beers. In fact, they have a sister “beer hall” several miles away close to the Furano Ski Resort. Since it was early in the day, I did not try any of their beers.
Overall, I really enjoyed their curry and would come back again if I was in the area. It was a great way to start our day of sight-seeing.