Coco Ichibanya Curry House is an institution that practically defines Japanese curry.
Of course, Japanese curry shares similarities with other types of curry, such as Indian or Thai, but the authentic dish is a unique experience. Taiwan is filled with pathetic imitations of Japanese curry; the restaurants serving it usually get it more wrong than right.
So when the first Taiwan branch of Coco Ichibanya opened for business in Taipei in July of 2006, Japanese curry lovers were in heaven.
PHOTO: MAC WILLIAM BISHOP
The original Coco Ichibanya opened nearly 30 years ago on the outskirts of Nagoya, Japan. Nearly every city in Japan now has at least one branch, and the chain has also spread to Hawaii, South Korea and Shanghai.
The success of the first Taiwan store, near the intersection of Nanjing East (南京東) and Fuxing North (復興北) roads, has allowed Coco Ichibanya to expand to three branches in Taipei.
Next month, at a date not yet determined, Coco Ichibanya will open a fourth store in Kaohsiung. (See the Web site for information on the other Taipei branches. Call (07) 522-3547 for information on the Kaohsiung branch.)
There are good reasons for Coco Ichibanya's success. One of the most obvious: a tasty base (what chefs call the roux), which is the foundation upon which the dish is built.
Coco Ichibanya has mastered this detail, using a beef base for most of its curries. A pork-based and a vegetarian tomato-based curry are available for some dishes.
The next ingredient is to offer the customer a dizzying array of choices with which to individualize your meal.
It works like this: First, you decide what your main dish is going to be. This can range from traditional Japanese curry dishes, such as pork cutlet curry (a breaded, fried cutlet with curry and rice for NT$180) or beef curry (NT$200), to more adventurous fare like the clam and tomato curry (NT$180) or the spinach and eggplant curry (NT$150).
Next, you decide on size. This is determined by the portion of rice, with a standard portion equaling 300g (a fairly filling meal). You can get as little as 200g (for NT$20 less on the price of the entree) or as much as 600g (for an additional NT$90), with a corresponding amount of curry.
After that, you decide on the level of spiciness. In Japan, Coco Ichibanya offers 10 levels, but this scale has been simplified for Taiwan's market. Seven are available, ranging from "Not Spicy" to "Crazy Hot." Finally, you can add a "topping." These range from shredded cheese (surprisingly good on a spicy curry) or grilled sausage, to Korean kimchi, scallops or boiled eggs. Adding a topping boosts the price by NT$20 to NT$90, depending on what you're adding.
To give an example, the last meal this reviewer had at Coco Ichibanya was the chicken cutlet curry, standard size (300g), spiciness level 5 ("Very Hot") with cheese topping, for a total price of NT$230.
Coco Ichibanya also offers other types of food, such as pastas and omelet rice. Desserts, salads, soup and beverages are also available.
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