After opening 1,400+ branches and marking its name in different parts of the world, CoCo Ichibanya Curry House finally arrived in the Philippines. Opened its 1st branch in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, the new town where cool kids hangout (haha!), CoCo serves their signature Japanese curry dishes that your palate needs to meet. Ask any of your Japanese friends, I’m sure one of them agrees curry is one of the popular dishes in their country.

Quick facts I want to share about CoCo Ichibanya. The restaurant, established in 1982, has over 1,200 branches in Japan. A perennial favorite in Japan and now trying to test the Philippine market for such dishes. In other parts of the map, CoCo Ichibanya pinned its kitchens in Taiwan, South Korea, China, USA, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. With that said, it’s the largest curry house chain the world.

Together with my ultimate foodie buddy, the man who gained weight because of me, one of our date nights carried us to CoCo Ichibanya.

At first, I thought Sausage Salad seemed out of place in a restaurant where all I wanted was to jump to the main course immediately. Packed with the right stuff, thin sausages, greens, corn kernels, cucumber and tomatoes, all mixed in sesame dressing. Bet on this salad as a starter for a smooth transition to strong curry flavors.

Replace the sausages with fried chicken chops, you get the same salad – same dressing and ingredients. Now it’s up to you what meat you prefer on top of your salad. If you ask me, I’m going for the sausage this time. A different take on sesame salad.

The jewel of the curry house is the Pork Cutlet & Vegetables Curry. It’s the first dish that introduced us to CoCo’s traditional curry style.

Upon ordering, you will be asked to choose your rice size, ranging from 200g to 600g.

Next, choose your level of spiciness, whichever your tongue can tolerate. This ranges from mild to curry hot (level 1 to 7).

Standard size of rice is 300g, which happens to be more than I expected and can finish. I was slammed with abundant rice swimming on spicy curry sauce. Now, I learned 200g is enough for me and saves me P20 too.

Pork cutlet served didn’t surpass my standards for a good kind of meat. What will bring me back to CoCo is the universal curry rubbing any kind of meat without any awkward taste. And, don’t forget to reach out to the small container of crispy spiced pickles to match your curry rice. This ingredient helps lessen the piquancy. A quick fix for a spice level mistake you might make.

To get both soup, salad and your chosen beverage, add P80 on top of any curry dish you order.

After choosing your rice size and spice level, an optional choice to make is adding toppings to sit beside your first choice of dish. An example is a standard order of Shrimp Cutlet Curry that I still want to customize. Yes guys, mix and match your curry toppings! From the long list of toppings, I added Pari-Pari Chicken, chicken with thin and light coating, to take my curry plate to premium level. If you were seated beside me, you’ll see this team-up of loaded shrimp and crispy chicken made my day.

Picked up my spoon and fork immediately when this teaser, Cheese Hamburger Curry, came to my side of the table. I was eager poke and slice the core to see how much its cheese will ooze down like a lava to the curry sauce. Started with a single bite of burger with slimy cheese then I forgot to stop and turn my face to the other selections on our table.

Honestly, I’m gonna ignore the eggplant and probably give it to my seatmate. I’ll go straight to the tantalizing sausages and enjoy its fine and delicate meat. This Sausage & Eggplant Curry combination is part of CoCo’s recommended dishes. If you’re not happy and can do a better mix, just customize and please yourself.

Give me some eggs and you just gave me a little piece of sunshine. Smooth lump of omelet attached to thick cuts of pork jazz up together for an adult’s happy meal. And again, CoCo’s signature curry did its wonders to make Pork Cutlet Omelet Curry more glorious.

Are we in UCC Cafe or what? O suddenly had a taste flashback to his favorite Sumiyaki coffee jelly drink in UCC after taking a small piece from the small glass cup of CoCo Ichibanya’s Coffee Jelly. Confirmed with Hubert Young, the man who introduced us to UCC Vienna Cafe and Coco Ichibanya, that it’s the same coffee jelly he uses in all his restaurants including UCC Vienna Cafe. It’s not only the curry that gets the attention but the coffee jelly! Clearly, it’s the best way to end your meal at CoCo Ichibanya.

What you see is what you get. Milk + tea it is! Adjust your milk and sugar according to your sensitive palate. I opted to reduce the sugar and insisted on pure milk and tea in one glass.

One of the first few restaurants in Capitol Commons draws customers with their modern high-ceiling space decorated with lamps and brick walls. It’s a venue built for a casual and comfortable dining serviced by polite and accommodating crew.

If you’re not convinced Japanese curry dishes are worth your money, let’s test if CoCo Ichibanya could change your mind.

Have you tried Coco Ichibanya in Capitol Commons?

Share with me your thoughts! 🙂

Cheers,

Food	8/10
Ambiance	8/10
Service	9/10
Cost	8/10
Overall	8.25/10