What kind of dishes come to mind when you hear “curry shop”?
There are all kinds, from spice-packed curries to the nostalgic curry of days gone by.
The dishes that come to mind are probably all curries, aren’t they?
I imagine few people think of “cake” or “pasta.”
“Curry and Coffee Shop 774 (Nanashi)” is a curry shop that puts just as much effort into sweets, coffee, and pasta as it does into curry.
We visited Curry and Coffee Shop 774, which has been popular since it first opened as a shared-space business.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in December 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About 774
Curry and Coffee Shop 774 (hereafter, 774) is housed in a renovated traditional home across Okayama Prefectural Route 22 from Kurashiki Ivy Square.
Previously, 774 operated as a shared-space business in a Japanese restaurant in the Bikan Historical Area.
Since it rented the space during the restaurant’s closing hours, its business days were irregular. Even so, it remained popular, steadily gaining fans.
Then, in July 2021, it finally moved out of the shared space and opened its own shop.
Inside, there are two tables that seat four and two tables that seat two.
The two-person seats facing the street have large windows.
▼Across the street, you can see the brick wall of Kurashiki Ivy Square.
774’s Lunch Menu
Curry
774’s lunch menu features the curry it has served since its shared-space days.
The menu changes weekly, with options such as “Aigake Curry,” featuring two kinds, and “Sanshu Moriawase,” a serving of three kinds.
| Lunch Curry Menu | Types of Curry | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|---|
| Aigake Curry | Chicken curry, red lentil curry | ¥1,100 |
| Sanshu Moriawase | Tomato chicken curry, ginger pork keema, red lentil and coconut vegetable curry | ¥1,300 |
The two- and three-curry plates feature different varieties, so it was hard to choose, but I went with Sanshu Moriawase, which lets you enjoy three curries.
Side dishes are arranged between the curries.
There are six homemade side dishes on one plate!
They add color to a curry plate that might otherwise be all brown.
▼Pickled purple cabbage. Perfect for refreshing your palate.
The shungiku greens with tofu, a dish I never expected to see on a curry plate, really stands out.
It has a comforting flavor that makes you feel as if you’ve come to a Japanese set-meal restaurant.
Before trying it, I wondered, “Will this go with curry?” but it turned out to pair surprisingly well.
Now, let’s eat the curry.
The curry with almost no liquid is the ginger pork keema.
It’s like a spiced hamburger patty that hasn’t been shaped.
It was a meaty curry that seemed sure to give you a boost of energy.
The tomato chicken curry is the one with large chunks of chicken.
It’s a classic curry with a flavor that seems sure to please everyone.
The chicken had been simmered until tender and falling apart.
The third curry is red lentil and coconut vegetable curry.
Thanks to the coconut, it was sweeter than the other curries.
The curries are delicious on their own, but I also recommend mixing them with the other sauces to create a flavor that’s just right for you.
Sweets
It’s a curry shop, but you shouldn’t miss out on the sweets.
They put a great deal of effort into their sweets, too.
The cake selection changes with the seasons, but the “Curry Shop’s Firm Pudding” and “Pudding à la Mode” are available year-round.
Parfaits are also sometimes available.
| Sweets Menu | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Baked cheesecake with apple and persimmon raisins | ¥500 |
| Baked cheesecake with dried persimmon and whiskey | ¥500 |
| Curry Shop’s Firm Pudding | ¥400 |
| Pudding à la Mode | ¥800 |
The pudding à la mode comes with a firm pudding and plenty of seasonal fruit.
They also have cake, so if you want both pudding and cake, the pudding à la mode is a great choice.
The firm pudding was so dense that it held the marks of the spoon.
It’s a grown-up pudding served with a bittersweet caramel sauce.
Newly Launched Dinner Service
Starting in November 2021, dinner service began in addition to lunch, so I visited in the evening as well.
The dinner menu changes depending on the season.
There are curry and sweets, too, but pasta and meat dishes not offered on the lunch menu also make an appearance.
I ordered the cold pork and prune pâté.
It’s a dish fragrant with cumin spice.
It contains mushrooms and prunes.
This is a dish I especially recommend to those who enjoy alcohol.
There was a dish of boiled dumplings on the dinner menu—something you would never expect from a curry shop.
The filling contains Bisei pork and shrimp, and the dumplings are served with plenty of cilantro.
The boiled dumplings themselves are light, but the cilantro gives them an ethnic flair.
The pasta caught my eye too, so I ordered the bottarga and Parmigiano pasta.
I mixed it thoroughly to coat the noodles with bottarga and cheese, then dug in.
It was a simple pasta dish that let me enjoy the saltiness of the bottarga and the richness of the Parmigiano cheese.
In addition to soft drinks, they have an excellent selection of wine.
The wines they serve are natural wines.
Natural wine refers to wine made without chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides, with the help of nature.
The wines come from a variety of countries, including classic French wines and some unusual ones from Austria.
▼ An artistic label on this French white wine. It was slightly sparkling.
Check the official Instagram for the latest updates!
For the latest information, including the lunch curry menu and business days, we recommend checking the official Instagram.
They also post information about sweets.
It’s an account that makes you hungry just by looking at it.
774 started out as a shared-space shop before opening its own location.
We spoke with Naoki Kimura (known as Naokimu), the owner of 774.
Curry and Coffee Shop 774 Information
| Name | Curry and Coffee Shop 774 |
|---|---|
| Address | 1226 Funakura-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 070-8583-0774 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; also open 5:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations accepted by phone or Instagram DM |
| Seating | 12 seats: two 4-person tables and two 2-person tables |
| Smoking | Entire premises non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Official Instagram |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
