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Well, since moving here to England I have been looking for ways to get my hands on some CoCo’s curry. Luckily my sister still lives there and she got me some of the curry-in-a-box type deals that they sell at CoCo’s restaurants. I had her send me about twenty boxes of the beef curry and I think she might be sending more soon. I know they had them in Okinawa for sale somewhere in the front when you first walk in. If you are really curious about it, just ask someone that works there and hopefully they can hook you up.

The whole process only takes only a couple minutes, if you don’t count the time it takes to make some rice. I usually go with some short or medium grain sticky rice to make the moment taste like the “real deal”. The curry comes in a bag that you can either empty into a microwaveable safe container or you can just put the bag in some hot water on the stove. I usually microwave it and it takes roughly two minutes.

Let me just say this about the end result…it is awesome! It is not quite that same curry that I love and miss, but it is far better than I imagined it to be. I would say that it is better than the actual CoCo’s Curry I had when I was in Hawaii. I sometimes cook a chicken patty and add it to the mix so I can pretend I am having Chicken Katsu Curry, haha.

If anyone reading this knows of a place to order this online, please leave a comment and let me know. I would literally kill a man for some real CoCo’s Curry. Well, maybe not kill someone but you get the idea. So, if you know someone living in Japan and you need your fix too, just have them send you some curry in a box from CoCo’s.

One thing about living in Japan that I loved so much was the curry. I would have to say that my friends and I ate CoCo’s curry at least twice a month when we were in Japan. This being said, you can understand how heartbreaking it was to leave and know that I wouldn’t have this ever again.

Today I made a quick stop at the CoCo’s curry house here in Honolulu and the inside was similar in design to the CoCo’s I ate at in Japan. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the menu and noticed under favorites was my favorite dish, chicken katsu curry with cheese. The price was only $7.50, about two dollars cheaper than Okinawa.

One big heartbreak was when I asked for level four spice and they said,

sorry, only regular or no spice available here

I ordered regular spice and it arrived about two or three minutes later. The curry looked so tasty and I couldn’t wait to savor every last bite. I started to feel that people around me were noticing my curry madness so I decided to dig in and stop making eyes at it.

All of the build up and excitement led to curry that just wasn’t up to par. The chicken was different and even something as simple as the cheese mix was off. Because I like my curry somewhat spicy and they only prepare "regular spice" my curry didn’t have the kick and same great taste that I enjoyed for the last three years.

My biggest advice is that if you want Japanese curry, go to Japan!

You will notice that even though I didn’t think it was as good as it is in Japan, I still cleaned the plate.

Helpful Information

Hours/Phone

Hours: Fri-Sat 11am – 11:30pm & Sun-Thurs 11am – 11pm

Phone: 808-949-4590

Location

Location: 1450 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu , HI 96814

Time for Curry!

Coco Ichibanya is an extremely popular national Japanese curry house that is luckily located here on Okinawa. There are nearly 1,000 locations throughout Japan. For many military members arriving here on Okinawa; it is usually the first taste of Japanese cuisine you will experience. If you enjoy curry, then you will really enjoy Coco Ichibanya. What may surprise you at first is the somewhat sweet taste. See, Japanese style curry is more sweet, unlike the spiciness of an Indian curry.  Their motto is

“Good smell, Good curry”

They don’t lie, you can smell the curry from outside the parking lot and also as you pass by in your vehicle. But, what I really like about Coco’s are their portion sizes. It is plenty enough to fill even the largest belly. Their menu has many different choices of curry and toppings to satisfy almost anyone. You also have to option to choose the amount of rice ranging from 200g to what is only a myth at this point…The 1500g challenge.

How to order:

Ordering can be somewhat tricky for the novice Coco’s adventurer. So, I have listed a detailed step by step guide that MUST be followed to eat there.

1. Look for a little plastic button on your table somewhere.
2. Press the magic button when you are ready…Don’t worry, you are ready!
3. The all too polite staff will come running over to your booth/table.
4. Point to the pictures on your menu and wait for greatness to arrive.

I am really glad we got through that together.

Helpful Information

• For  Coco’s located near the Kadena area
  • Average Price: ¥600-¥900 per person
  • English Menu: Yes
  • Seating: Booths/Counter Seats
  • Credit card accepted: No
  • Phone# CoCo’s on Rt 23: 098-926-1851

Now that you are armed with all the information, go enjoy some really great tasting Japanese curry for an affordable price. You won’t be sorry you did!