Coco Ichibanya is probably the most common Japanese curry chain in Japan, so I'm super glad it has representation in Hong Kong. There is sort of this knock off brand of coco in NYC, but it's not the same, and doesn't even have the right flavor (way more on the sweet side, and doesn't even have a spicy option). Coco here in HKG is much more faithful to the original from Japan (if not entirely faithful), and there are tons of variations you can add to your order.
I saw in the coco advertisement while waiting outside that there are something like 35,000 different combinations of curry you can get here. This is a slight exaggeration considering they are considering levels of spiciness and the amount of corn you get as a unique combination (technically true, but small variations like this are probably not that meaningful), but what is clear is that there is a lot of option at coco. The best feature is obviously that you can order to the spice level you enjoy. There are five different levels of spice here, though there are two levels below spicy that are classified as "no spice" and "mild", which I think means that there are actually 7 levels of spice here. On my most recent trip, I got the 3 spicy level (so it's actually 5/7 spicy), and while it was enough to taste, I wouldn't call the dish spicy. I think to really kick it up a notch (especially for people who like spicy food), you need to get level 4 or 5.
The dish itself was great. Me and my friend both ordered omlette rice with pork katsu curry. There isn't a ton of katsu, but it tastes really good at you can tell that it's of decent quality. The egg is perfectly fluffy, and they do a nice job with that whole omu-rice style arrangement. The egg is really cooked to the perfect texture, so I think you should definitely add egg to whatever it is you get. There is the option for $17 to add cheese to the meal, but I opted not to since it wouldn't work for me personally. (my total bill before service charge was $78)
My friend didn't think the quality was that great, but I think my standards for Japanese curry are not that high, since I thought it was wonderful. Anyways, I will definitely be back, and will order a spicier curry next time.
影片
