About Our Heat
When people hear the words "spice" or "spicy," many—especially in Japan—immediately think "hot." For curry shops, expressing heat is nuanced, challenging, and sometimes vexing. Heat perception is deeply personal, influenced by the chef's own preferences. This raises important questions: Where should we set the base heat level? Should we offer heat gradations (medium, extra hot) or not?
When developing FSC's heat profile, we first decided on two principles:
A heat level mild enough for children and those who dislike spice as our baseline
A specially designed spice blend that creates our signature heat profile
Both principles share one goal: delivering "delicious heat."
Heat comes in many varieties. Capsaicin from red chilies and cayenne pepper is what most people think of first, but Sichuan pepper, ginger, black pepper, and cloves also create heat through different compounds.
FSC's "delicious heat" isn't a sharp, instant burn—it's a complex, gradual warmth with aromatic and toasty notes. To achieve this, we've blended a custom Hot Powder and mixed it into our roux.
Our Hot Powder comprises six spices: red Sichuan pepper, red chili, poppy seed, aged citrus peel, ginger, and Javan pepper.
At FSC, you can choose from three heat levels: Regular, Medium Hot, and Extra Hot. Since our opening, even guests ordering Extra Hot said it "wasn't spicy at all," so we've gradually increased the intensity—as of January 2024, Extra Hot is roughly six times stronger than at launch. Regular remains unchanged from our opening day, and we're committed to maintaining this baseline.
Incidentally, *how* you add heat changes the experience. Until January 2024, we've sprinkled our custom Hot Powder on top of the roux rather than mixing it in. This approach preserves rising aromatics—you experience a whiff of spice as you eat. Conversely, blending it in beforehand improves overall harmony. You can also drizzle an oil-infused sauce over the curry to leverage the oil-soluble properties of each spice's essential oils—a completely different delicious experience.
As FSC evolves, the heat intensity of Medium and Extra Hot may change, as might our application method. We embrace this as part of the adventure. We hope you enjoy each bowl on any given day.
Fresh, satisfying curry made with care and heart—something you'll want to eat every day.