Primrose Review – Triple Turkish Rice Near Nagasaki’s Meganebashi Bridge

Although I’m from Nagasaki, I’ve been living in other prefectures since university, so I actually don’t know that many delicious restaurants in Nagasaki.

Every time I return to my hometown of Nagasaki, I gradually explore new places.

When it comes to famous Nagasaki foods, champon and sara udon noodles, Chinese cuisine, or seafood and shippoku cuisine come to mind, but another dish I’d like you to try is Turkish Rice.

The common pattern seems to be dry curry, tonkatsu, and Napolitan pasta, but there are various combinations depending on the restaurant.
It’s essentially a dish where Western food all-stars are assembled on one plate, and it even has the nickname “adult children’s meal.”

While each dish on the plate isn’t something you can only eat in Nagasaki, it’s quite rare to see dishes that could normally be main courses all lined up on a single plate.

However, “Astoria,” which I frequented as a student, and “ENA Cafe,” which I previously ate at and rated highly, have closed, and the famous “Tsuru-chan” was personally disappointing to me.

While I was wondering if there was anywhere good… I was browsing through the Turkish Rice catalog by Nekomachi Restaurant (@nekomachihanten),

地元民なら知っておきたい長崎市トルコライスカタログ | 猫町飯店の休日

ちゃんぽん皿うどんとならび、忘れちゃいけない長崎名物といえばトルコライス。特色がでやすい料理で、ライスもカレーピラフだったりバターライスだったりケチャップライスだったりサフランライスだったり。スパゲティも細い・太い・柔い・硬いとその店々で特...

nekomachihanten.net

and “Primrose” caught my eye as a restaurant with good access that looked delicious.

It’s conveniently located close to the streetcar stop and right in front of Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge), which tourists often visit.

The quality of all the dishes that make up the Turkish Rice is high, and I highly recommend this restaurant even as a side trip during sightseeing!

Primrose, a Western Restaurant with Great Views Right Next to Meganebashi

Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge), a famous tourist spot in Nagasaki City.

It’s Japan’s first arch-style stone bridge, named because it looks like spectacles when combined with its reflection on the water surface.
(The current Meganebashi was restored in 1983)

Built in Kan’ei 11 (1634) by Zen Master Mokushi Nyojō of Kōfukuji Temple, this Meganebashi is 22m long, 3.65m wide, and 5.46m high from the water surface, famous as Japan’s first arch-style stone bridge.
The reflection on the water surface creates twin circles that look like “spectacles,” which is how it got its name, and it’s counted among Japan’s three famous bridges along with “Nihonbashi” and “Kintaikyo.”
It partially collapsed during the Great Nagasaki Flood of 1982 but was restored the following year and designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
Meganebashi | Tourist Spots | [Official] Nagasaki Tourism/Travel Portal Site Nagasaki Tabi-Net

Restaurant Primrose is located about a 15-second walk from Meganebashi. It’s on the 2nd floor of this building.

A restaurant where you can dine while looking at Meganebashi and the Nakashima River. Let’s go in right away.

This was lunchtime on the last day of a three-day weekend, but there was one group waiting. Even during a holiday weekend, having a wait is evidence of a quite popular restaurant.

It’s a small, neat restaurant with about 6 tables. Most customers seemed to be locals.

The recommendation is definitely Turkish Rice. Primrose’s Turkish Rice basically consists of curry rice with tomato pasta, pork cutlet, and salad.

There are also apparently menu items called Double/Triple Turkish Rice, where you can substitute the cutlet in Turkish Rice with hamburger, croquette, or fried shrimp, or luxuriously add 2 or 3 of these items.

Since I was hungry, I ordered the Triple Turkish Rice with cutlet, hamburger, and fried shrimp for 1,100 yen.

There’s a large window facing the street, from which you can see the Nakashima River and even catch a glimpse of Meganebashi at the edge.
Since it’s a wire-reinforced window, it’s not 100% clear, but you can enjoy dining while looking at the scenery.

Triple Turkish Rice with Powerful Visual Impact

While I was observing the restaurant like this, steaming hot consommé soup was served. It’s nice that Western food allows you to warm up your stomach with soup or salad. (As you can see, it’s extremely hot, so be careful)

And shortly after, the Triple Turkish Rice with cutlet, hamburger, and fried shrimp that I had ordered arrived.
How about this super appetite-inducing visual!

On the front left is curry rice, and the oval-shaped item to its right is hamburger.

Plus fried shrimp and thin-sliced cutlet. Under the cutlet is tomato pasta.
There’s also crispy salad in the back.
By the way, if you remove the hamburger and fried shrimp, it becomes regular Turkish Rice.

When you hear “children’s meal,” you imagine a variety of dishes that are easy for children to eat – hamburgers, fried foods, and other “obviously delicious” items.

Turkish Rice, true to its nickname “adult children’s meal,” features renowned delicious Western dishes all piled onto one plate with a bang!

Triple Turkish Rice can be said to have perfected this adult childishness. Looking at this overwhelming visual impact, you have to be convinced.

High-Level Turkish Rice Where Each Dish is Delicious

The quality of Turkish Rice depends on the combined strength of each individual dish.
In that regard, Primrose’s Turkish Rice is quite high-level.

The tender, juicy hamburger is slightly coarse-ground, allowing you to really taste the meat’s umami.

The standard Turkish Rice member, thin-sliced cutlet. Crispy with coating that’s neither too thick nor too thin, and the sauce sweetness is just right.

The curry is a bit mild for someone like me who likes spicy food. However, it would be cruel to demand divisive spicy curry on this plate, and it’s normally delicious and totally OK.

The fairly long fried shrimp is also crispy. It has sauce on it, but dipping it in the tartar sauce in the back makes it even richer and creamier.

While typical Turkish Rice has Napolitan pasta, Primrose calls it “tomato pasta,” which had me curious, but now I understand.

Unlike Napolitan where ketchup comes through strongly, this was Western-style pasta where you could taste the tomato flavor. Since the other dishes also have strong flavors, perhaps they made it this way to avoid conflicting tastes.
That said, this would of course be more than delicious enough as a standalone dish with high quality.

Conclusion

I had no idea there was such a good restaurant in downtown Nagasaki, right near Meganebashi.

It’s easy to recommend to tourists visiting Nagasaki, and above all, it’s delicious, so no complaints.

From now on, when asked “Where’s good Turkish Rice in Nagasaki?” I’d like to recommend this place!