Taking The Spice Out Of Curry

CoCo Ichibanya
Yanai City

The Japanese love their curry. If, however, you are expecting the massive variety of sauces and spices, the poppadoms, the naan breads and the chutneys ubiquitous to the UK Friday night fayre, then I am afraid, my friend, that you shall be sorely disappointed. Like every non-native dish, be it hamburgers, pastas, or even the simple omelette, the Japanese have taken curry and transmogrified it into their own unique attempt. Like I said, the Japanese love THEIR curry.

Imagine, if you will, every foodstuff under the sun, each doused in standard chip-shop curry sauce and served with the omnipresent Japanese sticky rice. This is essentially the menu of CoCo Ichi, Japan’s number one curry chain (indeed, the name itself means “here is best”). There is a full range of food items to be covered in the multi-purpose sauce. Perhaps you fancy a cheese curry? Or maybe clams? Hotdogs perhaps? No? Well what about the all too appealing omelette curry?

I must admit, I had the same lukewarm reaction when I was first introduced to CoCo; there mere fact that there was not a bhaji in sight something of a downer. But, after a couple of subsequent visits, I’ve really rather learned to like it. Maybe it’s just the acceptance that a chicken shashlick and a peshwari naan are out of the question, but the always popular “chicken kats caré” (a hand-breaded chicken breast served over rice and sauce) really is quite yum.

I don’t know. I’m rather torn when it comes to my opinion of Japan’s take on curry. On one hand it’s tasty enough, it’s warming, cheap, and one of the few meals that really does fill a hole. On the other hand, it’s a bit crap.