Soup curry is an interesting concept, and probably the first I had tried. When I brought the friend here to try, she was very amused by the whole concept while we look through the menu trying to decipher how to go about it. Sama Curry originates from Sapporo and is a popular chain restaurant. Their first outlet is opened at OUE Downtown Gallery and will probably fit well with the CBD lunch crowd. The ordering goes like this: you pick your choice of curry, choose the level of spiciness (1-30) and then choice of broth from Tomato, Coconut, Japanese & Shrimp. I think other than coconut, the other 3 will be an interesting option to try

We were there about 1.15pm. The cafe wasn’t very crowded by then though we were informed prior waiting time is around 20 minutes. Can you imagine waiting time during peak lunch? Wanted the Hungry bear, they ran out of chicken leg. Wanted the shrimp broth, they didn’t have it that day. Personally in my opinion, not having items on the menu is unacceptable, especially when it’s only 1.15pm (not 3-4pm hello) and you are dealing with CBD lunch crowd

Oink Oink, Japanese, Level 10 $15.90

The friend had the pork in a sweet Japanese broth. We were pleasantly surprised by how welcoming the broth is. It was sweet with a hint of spice and very drinkable. The friend said, she felt like she is having yong tau foo in drinkable curry form. We love the egg, just the egg we expect in a Japanese restaurant

The pork didn’t had the same consistency throughout with some parts less tender than others. But for the parts which are tender, it tasted slightly charred, sweet and the fats were melt-in-the-mouth. The staff explained to us that they were trying a new vendor for the meat and so they wanted to see how the quality was. I was puzzled. Shouldn’t you determine the quality even before you open?

Cheesy Bear, Coconut, Level 15 $16.90

I ended up with the cheesy bear, which was essentially fried chicken with some charred cabbage topped with melted cheese. The friend was like where’s the cheese?! We thought it would be a slice of cheese on top of the vegetables. ha. Honestly, the chicken was good and I enjoyed the coconut broth which was sweet, thick and fragrant. Level 15 wasn’t spicy for me. I told the friend I can go for level 20 next time

Overall the food here was pretty decent with a balance of proteins and vegetables. And they came faster than expected, probably cos the staffs were so stressed about it. They kept assuring me my food is next (I didn’t ask I swear). We did feedback they need to improve on their turnaround time and probably forecast more on their sales next time. I mean come on, there’s still dinner right. Understand that they just opened which means lots of fine tuning to be made, but if they can iron the differences, I think this place is worth returning for

Sama Curry & Cafe

OUE Downtown 2 Gallery

6 Shenton Way, #03-26

Singapore 068809