Monday, April 14, 2008

Coco Ichiban


Japanese Curry. Sounds a little odd, until you think about it a little more. India is generally associated with curry. Japan...well, it's not quite next door to India (or anybody, really, it's an island after all).Nevertheless, Japanese sailors visited India sometime in the last 150 years and brought back the curry spice. According to Father John Nariai, they then "perfected it", meaning they did to the Indian food what Americans do to Mexican food. They adapted it to their taste...and boy is it good!There are a number of Japanese curry restaurants. Many offer a selection of meat (pork cutlet, chicken cutlet, sausages, seafood) but no other options. Usually the curry is served at a lunch counter. Coco Ichiban is a national chain that is terrific. Most of the American sailors in the area know about "Coco's", as it is affectionately called.
What to order:
At Coco's, you have the choice of meat, curry sauce, and amount of rice. There are so many options that I can't even begin to write them. However, a standard order goes like this:"I'd like the chicken cutlet curry. Level 2 spice. 300 grams of rice. With cheese!"And there you have it. After about 5 minutes you will get a steaming hot plate that contains all of the above. The chicken cutlet (an American classic) is tempura style chicken breast. Delicious! Level 5 is actually quite hot, but you can order up to level 10 if you are a little crazy. I order normal spice and find it perfect for my Midwestern tastes. You can also ask for "no spice" if you want zero burn.
What are some other options to have here? Well, you can order beef curry (pork is the default sauce, but you can get beef or veggie sauce as well). You can get as much rice as you can eat (I've seen a guy eat 1.2 kilograms...no joke).For meats, there are a number of pork cuts, like "hirekatsu" and "tonkatsu", hot dog curry, eggplant, shrimp, hamburger,octopus...the list goes on. There is also a large picture menu to help you order.So, if you find yourself in Yokosuka, Japan, I recommend you get yourself to Coco's.
How to get there:
You'll find it off of Blue Street by two blocks, crossing Blue Street from the Yokosuka-Chuo train station (you'll first pass a huge pachinko parlor). If you see an eighth note on the corner, you've found it. Then open the door, find a seat, and you will soon find yourself saying,"Chicken cutlet curry, kurasai!"

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1 comment:

the soul of japan said...

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