Mr. Sato Takes on the “Mammoth 2kg Fried Chicken Curry”

Super-sized menus have been steadily on the rise in Japan, and one place in Akihabara, Tokyo has upped the ante further. On top of their original 1kg dish, Mammoth Curry has released a 2kg monstrosity of chicken, rice and sauce.

Fresh from the beauty salon, RocketNews 24 Curry Eating Classic runner-up Mr. Sato looks for redemption and has some advice for other 2 kilo curry challengers.

■ The Curry

According to the menu, the 2kg curry has the following contents:

Rice – 1,200g
Curry – 700g
Cheese – 60g
Fried Chicken – 10 pieces

The weight of a piece of fried chicken varies but it’s safe to say this entire dish is over 2 kilograms.

■ The Beauty

Having ordered the 2kg curry Mr. Sato received a shock when it arrived at his table. Of course it was hearty. He had expected that, but he never thought it’d be so… pretty.

Like some kind of dish from a fancy restaurant, the arrangement and presentation of this curry was very eye-catching. The rice and chicken were piled up at the rear leaving a tranquil brown lake of curry sauce in the front.

■ The Sweet Refreshment

The curry roux had a taste best described as sweet. However, it’s refreshing and not overwhelmingly sweet. There’s a subtle sourness to it which makes it almost drinkable. In fact if you poured it into a glass, Mr. Sato would probably chug it. It’s just that smooth.

■ Fried Chicken the Enemy?!

Don’t get us wrong, the fried chicken here was very soft and juicy. In this case, too, the freshness seemed to last a long time which is good since you need time to work through the whole thing. However, it’s your enemy.

Mr. Sato had initially fallen into the chicken’s trap eat pieces one after the other. Very quickly the oily piece were filling him up and slowly keeping him from his goal. A lighter meat like liver might be more suitable for this volume.

■ Momentum Alone Gets You Halfway

Assuming most challengers are adult males, you will probably get through the first kilo on momentum alone. The curry is so smooth you’ll probably be drinking down part of the rice.

■ Balance is Key

That momentum is dangerous if you let it take over the challenge. Without careful portioning, you’ll be eating too much of the sauce alone, as Mr. Sato had. By the time he got to the second half his appetite was waning fast.

After cleaning two-thirds of his plate he was contemplating giving up.

In Japan, it’s frowned upon to ask for a doggy bag, but Mr. Sato had to swallow his pride and throw in the towel. With profuse apologies to the shopkeeper he got the remaining 700g wrapped up to “take out“.

His final advice for future challengers was for them to try the 1kg dish first then gauge their curry capacity from that before leveling up to the 2kg.

Information

Mammoth Curry (Akihabara store)
3-2-11 Endo Bldg (1F), Sotokanda, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
Hours: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Holiday: None

Original Story: Mr. Sato

▼ From January, 2013, a 2kg Mammoth Fried Chicken Curry (1,600 yen/US$16)