CHIBA -- Before my eyes was a seemingly 10-centimeter-thick "slice" of toast. It was filled with curry and covered with melted cheese. Called Cheese Curry Jumbo Toast, this is a signature dish at Cafe Rokuro in Chiba.
The toast comes with salad and a drink for 1,300 yen. I added for an additional 100 yen a topping of soft-boiled egg that was set in the center of the cheese.
"Even many female customers can eat all this up," said restaurant manager and owner Yuko Noguchi.
When I stuck my fork into the curry, it reached soft bread below. Having a forkful of the dish, the bread, curry and cheese became one in my mouth. I never got tired of the curry, which wasn't too sweet nor too spicy. In a matter of no time, I ate up what was inside the crust. I then ordered ice cream to have with the crust.
When preparing the beef curry for the dish, the cafe uses coffee instead of water to bring out the flavor. The shop has worked together with a bakery in the city to develop bread that has the desired saltiness and hardness.
The cafe was initially a footwear shop established in the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912). The shop later opened a ceramic art gallery and in 1981 started a coffee shop. Honey Jumbo Toast with syrup and butter is still on the menu from those days. The cafe eventually developed the dish featuring jumbo toast with curry inside in response to customers' requests.
The subdued lighting and wooden tables help people relax. Selected coffee and handmade cakes are also among the signature items. Recently, high school students visit the cafe after seeing posts about the jumbo toast on social media.
"I hope everybody can have a relaxed time here," Noguchi said.
Cafe Rokuro
Open: From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Until 11 a.m., only the morning menu is available; last orders at 7:30 p.m.)
Closed: Wednesdays
Address: 3-4-10 Chuo, Chuo Ward, Chiba
Phone: (043) 224-5251
Credit cards accepted
English menu available
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